Never Succumb
by linkinparkfan9799
Summary: 'I'm Lu...sorry, Kaede Hinamori. This is how my death sentence came.' Lucy goes to visit her cousin, Amu Hinamori, after a fight with Yuka, Kota, and Nana. She can see Guardian Characters, but will she get one herself? Why does she have a death sentence?
1. Chapter 1

_**From the author that brought you Hot n' Cold, a Vampire Knight poem, and Mistletoe, a Vampire Knight Fan Fiction…**_

_Linkinparkfan9799_

**Never Succumb**

One

This mess is my fault. Everything from when I came to now has been my fault. I don't care though. Why should I? This trip was my decision, sure. I've made some friends, sure. I visited some family members of mine, sure. I was able to not be hunted by the facility for this long, sure. It never, ever meant my existence was ever going to be excused. It never meant that, it never _means _that. Let's face it, whenever I run or behave, someone gets hurt, and it's my simple reaction to try and be a shield for them. I can't stop it, mostly since I'm just like that. I don't want some of the only friends I have to die, just like her. We were running, and she died for my sake. But now, it's time for me to say good-bye to the world. Good-bye to my cousin. Good-bye…to him.

"Guns at the ready!"

"NO!"

"Three…"

"NO!"

"Two…"

"PLEASE!"

"One…"

Crying.

"Fire!"

"LUCY!"

Everything around me freezes as I shut my red-pink irises. The flashback starts, before I was hunted once again, before my heart 'grew three sizes that day', before…before I even came here. Yes, this is everything, in the few seconds I have of life left. I'm Lu…sorry, _Kaede _Hinamori. This is how my death sentence came.


	2. Chapter 2

Two

Nana tapped the glass on the fish tank. "Hey, Lucy?"

I huffed and lifted my eyes from my book. "Can't you see I'm reading?"

"It's Manga, not a book," Nana snapped. "And yes, I can see that clearly."

"Don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're reading, whether or not it's Manga?" I snarled. Jeez, how she P*SSED me off.

"Don't you know it's rude to rip peoples' heads off?"

"Touché, Nana, since we're the _exact same species_."

"Well, I haven't killed anyone, so there!"

"Yes, well it all narrows down to if that's even a good achievement." She raised an eyebrow at me as if I grew ten more vectors*****. "People are good or bad, if you don't kill some, the world's going to over-populate."

"That's why people die from _disease _you moron."

I stood up, the Manga dropping to the floor with a dull _dunk_. "What did you say runt?"

"Oh, you didn't hear that? I guess that makes you DEAF!"

"Well at least I'm not BLIND!"

Yuka entered the Doctor's waiting room, only consisting of Nana, me, and some old hag snoring to Kingdom Kong. Nana and I were screaming at each other, each one of our eyes filled with hatred for the other Diclonius. "Hey, stop it you guys!" Yuka had commanded.

"She started it!" Nana jabbed her pointing nail towards me.

I laughed coldly. "Well, well. It looks like someone hasn't learned to _grow up_."

"At least I'm more mature!" she snapped once again.

"That's enough!" Yuka cried, stepping in between the gap. "Now you two are better than this!"

"I might be," Nana prided herself, "but Lucy is always like that! She'll never change!"

"And you'll never shut your yap!" I growled loud and clear, almost to the hag's snores.

"Shut up the both of you!" Yuka cried again. "We'll talk about this later, but now we're going home!"

I leaned down to pick up the Manga, dusting off the cover and checking for damages. Once I was clear that it wasn't banged up, I followed Yuka out, occasionally shoving Nana or at least tripping her. She'd always complain and Yuka would snap at the both of us, telling me to knock it off and Nana to quit whining already and walk. Man did I agree with Yuka on that second half. The Maple Inn, an abandoned restaurant with about eleven rooms and stairs, two yards, and a slide gate at the front of the first yard, wasn't far after five minutes of the drill of trip, complain, scold, and repeat. Mayu was playing with Wonta, a little puppy she favors, and Kota was supervising her as usual. Mayu, being the observant kid she is, saw us first.

"Hey guys, welcome back!" she smiled.

Wonta barked loudly and Kota looked up from the stone steps to wave over. Nana ran, one of her plastic, screw-on arms falling onto the street. Yuka huffed and went to help Nana screw it back on since the things weren't being as cooperative those days as they were. I just walked to the other side, walking past them all and sliding the gate door open, stepping through into the yard and up the couple of steps to slide the front open. I turned to the left to pick up that day's pile of mail, shifting through to look for anything for me or the newspaper. There was a newspaper, sure, but when I saw 'Kaede Hinamori' on a letter I threw it back and ran into the room where I usually slept, leaning against the closed slide and sliced it open with my thumb nail. It wasn't stationary, just an ordinary piece of lined paper you'd find in a notebook.

**Dear Cousin Kaede, **

_**Hi, I'm Amu Hinamori. You might not remember me, but I'm your younger cousin (by seven years that is). We were hoping you'd come by and visit, since we haven't seen you in, well, nine years. And if you decide to come, be warned, we have a preschooler in the house named Ami Hinamori.**_

**Hope you're well, **

**Amu Hinamori**

My red-pink irises were wide, the letter shaking slightly, reading the adress below the name. Jeez I hadn't seen them in a long while. The Manga under my arm dropped onto the floor with yet another _dunk _and I slid down to the ground, blinking at the letter. _Should I visit? What will happen if I do? Will I kill them like I killed my parents? _All those thoughts racked my brain for answers. To tell you the truth, a preschooler sounded _**WAY **_better than facility soldiers after my head with short white horns at each side. Someone knocked on my slide and I stood, sliding it open to a slightly annoyed Kota.

"Hey," he stated with annoyance somewhere in there, "were you fighting with Nana in the waiting room at the doctor's office?" I nodded, speechless from the letter. "Apologize." I shook my head. "Lu-"

"Kota," I interrupted, "may I just say that she was the one who started it and Yuka was the one who ended it. As long as we're not fighting now, it shouldn't even matter. Does that make sense?"

He blinked at me and looked down at the letter in my hands. "Who's that from?"

I rapidly hid it behind my back, the paper crumbling under the pressure of the closed nails. "It's none of your business."

"Yes it is. We're f-"

"Don't even talk to me about family, Kota," I snapped, my eyes narrowing slightly. "My family doesn't have a brat in it."

"Lucy," Kota's voice grew louder. "As long as you live here, it is my concern."

I rolled my eyes. "Then take the word 'doesn't' and figure out what time it's using."

He blinked for a second. "It's from a family member then?"

I nodded. "See? Nothing you have to be concerned about. Now can I close the slide?"

He shook his head. "You still need to apologize to Nana."

"You still need to learn to listen to me," I snapped. "I'm not apologizing to that brat, that's that Kota."

I slammed the slide shut and locked it securely, sliding back down to the ground and re-reading the letter over and over. Eventually someone knocked on the slide again, forcing me to oblige and unlock it to Yuka's slightly irritated glare. Ooh, like _that's _scary. "Lucy, apologize to-"

"Not apologizing to a brat," I intervene. "Didn't I just tell Kota that?"

"Well, I'm not Kota and either you are or you can get out!"

I shrug. "That's fine by me. Just let me pack, will you."

I slammed the slide shut and grabbed a suitcase, packing. Well, do you think I was joking about that? After I stuffed what little I had in the rolling suitcase, I scooped up the Manga into the same hand as the partially crumpled note and slid the slide open, the wheels of the suitcase 'going round and round, round and round'. Kota walked out of the kitchen and saw me. "Where are you going?"

I stopped with a big smirk on my face. "Yuka said either I apologize to the brat or get out. I chose getting out."

He huffed. "I don't think she actually _meant _that, Lucy…"

I shrugged. "Well, like I said, I'm _not _apologizing to a brat. So, farewell," I slid the front slide open, "hope Nana goes to He**."

"Lucy!" Kota called as I walked down the steps.

I didn't answer. I just walked through the gate and took a left. I had some money on me from jobs, well, actually a LOT of money, so I wasn't worrying. I'm not an eater, so no worries. I could drink every three days, and I'd still live. Either way, I walked down the stone steps and walked, walked for my cousin's…sorry, cousins' house.

***-Invisible arms that vary in length and number for Diclonius; invisible arms referred in Mathematics for time lines _Follow the vector to +3, then -5. See the length?_**


	3. Chapter 3

Three

The sun started to set, forcing me to let out a big yawn and stop on a crack, stretching my arms up and my back backwards. Trees along the sidewalk were rustling softly with a gentle breeze, the faint scent of pretzels drifting over from a nearby park. I replaced my grip on the roller suitcase's handle and strolled forward, fat streaks of orange clashing with thin streaks of red and purple above my head of two horns and the croppy shoulder bob of pink hair. The navy cap was low on my head to conceal the horns and a sky-blue shirt with elbow-long sleeves was tucked neatly into dark torn jeans, the cuffs at the ankles partially hiding the navy sneakers. My right hand with the Manga and the crumpled note lifted up to my face to re-read the address.

"F*CK," I muttered. "Now I'm _definitely _lost."

I dropped the hand to my side and stared at the street signs. I was nowhere close. I sighed and walked in the direction of the park, finding a rickety old bench the same color as my shirt in front of a marble-like fountain. I walked over to sit, the suitcase next to my right calf and the letter above the Manga in both hands, the letter up to my chin about five inches from my face. I stared at the handwriting, reading the address over and over, not getting anywhere new but 'I'm lost'. I sighed and closed my eyes, dropping my hands into my lap and allowed my head to fall back. I heard someone take a few steps close to me and a gasp, so I bothered to open my eyes and turned my head slightly to the left to see a woman with brown hair in a low ponytail, thin glasses, and a jogging outfit, the eyes hazel by what I could see.

"Kaede?" she asked in a soft voice.

I knew that voice anywhere, so I smiled slightly. "Hey Aunt Midori, how've you been?"

She smiled and sat next to me on the bench. "Fine, just fine Kaede. So you decided to visit?"

I nodded. "Speaking of Aunts; how's Uncle Tsumugu?"

She laughed softly. "Taking pictures of birds and Ami, like always."

"Ami, you mean the baby I haven't _met _yet?" I chuckled (I DON'T GIGGLE).

She slapped her forehead with the bottom of her palm. "Oh that's right! You haven't visited in nine years! Well, why don't you come with me to the house so we can introduce you two?"

I nodded and stood, gripping the handle of the suitcase and clutching the Manga, the letter soaked with palm sweat at one side. She led me to a house with walls surrounding it, the one I'm standing in front of now. There was and is a placard that read and reads 'Hinamori'. She led me through the front yard and opened the door, walking in with me at her heels. "Amu," she called with one hand cupped next to her mouth, "we have a visitor!"

"If it's Tadase, can you tell him to wait a bit?" I heard a light voice come from upstairs.

"Oh when did my cousin grow up enough to know boys?" I teased.

I heard a gasp and the rapid movement of feet. "KAE-", is all she managed before tripping on her own two feet. Side note, I never minded them calling me Kaede. It's the name I grew up with and grew up around them with. I cringed at the fall and she hopped right back up, some of her medium pink hair in a high ponytail at the back-left section of her head, the rest drooping down to the top of her shoulder blades. I noticed she had deep pink tank top with black dots, a short black skirt and a white little jacket joint-up in the middle, her feet bare. Honestly I still don't see why she didn't keep her hair down if she was wearing _that_, but back then I just pushed the argument to the back of my head for one of those 'in need of conversation topic' situations. She dusted her skirt and smiled up at me, since she was and still is only thirteen. I'm nineteen, to those that don't know. "Kaede, I'm glad you got my letter!"

I smiled and ruffled her hair. "Hey Amu, how've you been?"

"Good, hey, I'm in seventh grade now!"

"Really," I nodded, "great. I hope you're not getting detentions like a bad girl," I teased.

She rolled her eyes and slapped my arm playfully. "Very funny, Kaede!" she laughed. "How long are you staying?"

I shrugged and turned to Aunt Midori. "How long will you have me?"

She smiled. "I would like you to live with us, but I believe you have another place, is that correct?"

I froze and looked down, scratching the back of my neck. "Well…I sort of got booted from it, to tell you the truth…"

"Why?" Amu raised a brow.

I sighed, dropping the hand. "They wanted me to apologize to some brat, and that's NOT going to happen."

Aunt Midori sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, you can stay with us, or live if they won't take you back, or you don't _want _to go back…"

"I get what you're saying," I laughed, "and trust me, here's better than an orphanage."

It still amazes me, even when time is frozen, that they would accept a murderer as a family member. Yes, they knew and know. Uncle Tsumugu, my dad's brother, was there when I was born. They just didn't know the name I was given. 'Diclonius'…It's rather plain if you ask me. Amu patted my back and looked over at her mom. "What room is she going to sleep in?"

"Jeez Amu that makes you sound like a stalker," I edged for Aunt, making the two laugh.

"I believe there's one empty room around here somewhere. I'll look. Amu, why don't you take Kaede to your room for now?"

Amu nodded and led me up to her room. Suddenly, four little people, maybe as big as half a foot, flew up to Amu's face. "Amu-chi!" one with a pink cheerleader get up and a red heart attached to a white visor cheered. "Who's the girl?"

"I'm not a girl," I muttered. "I'm an adult." Amu stared at me like I grew a third eye. "What?"

"Y…You can see them?" she pointed to the four.

I nodded gradually, eyes sparkling with confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"

One with a green sort of cooking get up flew up to my face, so I leaned back. Being in a facility for years makes a Diclonius paranoid you know? "She seems nice!" she smiles.

I stared and turned my gaze to a blue artist and a yellow…uh…singer? You got me there. All I knew was that there was a blue spade on the blue beret, a green club on the white little hat, a yellow diamond or two pinned to a white hair band, and a red heart on a white visor. "Amu, do you care to explain?" I faced her.

She huffed and sat on the bed, motioning me to the floor. I sat.


	4. Chapter 4

Four

"So these are Guardian Characters?" I raised a pink brow. She nodded. "Every one has an egg in their heart, right?" She nodded again. "How do people live with some fat egg in their heart?"

She laughed. "It's not actually in the heart you know."

I shook my head. "No, I don't know. What I know is that you're on crack and you must've slipped me something when I came in. How did you do it, Amu? Gas, shot, what did you use?"

She sighed and stood, grabbing a red and black checkered box with three charms, a red heart, a blue spade, and a green club. She examined it and set it next to a basket with four eggs, one pink with several black lines, the fat middle one patterned with heart, one blue with the same basic concept save the spades, one green with spades, and one final one yellow with diamonds. It's like the coats on cards, except not just red and black. I raised a brow once again. She caught that of course, being the smart little cousin she is.

"I know it's hard to understand, but it took me a while to get it down to," she shrugged.

I sighed and crossed my arms, my back falling down onto the soft pink mass of a bean bag chair. "Okay, so let's say hypothetically that you're actually right about this whole thing and they're born from dreams and love-SH*T like that," I stared at the ceiling, placid on the outside alone. "Why do you have four dreams?"

She shrugged again. I was starting to think she was having a muscle spasm up there. "They're apparently who I want to be, but even I can't see that yet," she sighed.

The doorbell downstairs rang throughout the house, so I shoved off of the bean-bag and followed Amu out. We both trotted down the sand-brown steps to see a blonde at the door, wide brown eyes with slight pink mixed in smiling at Amu. Jeez, I was right! "Hello Amu-san!" he greeted. "Who's your friend?"

I blinked and Amu rubbed the back of her neck like she was embarrassed of something. I didn't get it then. "Tadase-kun, this is my cousin, Kaede Hinamori."

Tadase bowed. "I'm pleased to meet you, Hinamori-san."

I blinked and looked down at my cousin. "You said you were in seventh grade, right?" She nodded. "Is he in the same grade?" She nodded more slowly. "Is this school stuff?" She shrugged. "Okay, I suppose to full-fill my annoying cousin duty, I must remain here."

"Oh Kaede," Amu rolled her eyes, slapping my upper arm again.

"I just came here to talk to Amu-san about a project we're working on," Tadase smiled.

That's when some king Guardian Character flew into the house, making my eyes wide and tugged on the sleeve of Amu's jacket. She looked up at me and followed the gaze to the Guardian Character. "Uh, Tadase…" Amu pointed to the Guardian Character and jabbed a thumb back at me.

I rubbed my eyes, and the next thing I knew he wasn't there. "What the…"

"'What the' what, Kaede, did you see something?" she asked.

I spotted a little crown poking out of a plant pot. I laughed. "Nice try, but the crown is poking out."

The Guardian Character flew back out. "Hello, are you a new servant?"

I felt my eye twitch, but he's a King Guardian Character, you have to expect that. I turned to Amu. "What's this guy's dream, taking over the world?" I was smirking in tease, but she wasn't. My jaw dropped. "You can't be serious." She nodded. "Oh so is this Guardian Character thing supposed to be rare or occasionally?"

"Well," Tadase shoved his hands in black pants pockets, "It doesn't happen to everyone."

I nodded and turned to the four Guardian Characters of Amu to see them flying to greet that King. The doorbell rung again and I answered it, Aunt Midori off somewhere. The door opened up to some teen with midnight hair, making me blink and scowl at Amu. "Seriously Amu, since when did you get with so many boys?"

"You've only seen two!" she flailed her hands. "I mean jeez, I can't have friends unless they're feminine?" I nodded and she rolled her eyes, the teen standing in front of me shoving his hands into his pockets. "So who is it?"

"Some teen who looks awfully close to a pervert," I smirked, pushing myself off the side of the door and walking further into the house.

"Ikuto?" Amu raised a brow. That was the last I heard of that particular conversation.

I leaned against the kitchen counter and picked up a Manga that was on there, looking for a label of any sorts to make sure to ask before I read. Well, I might've killed people (probably will kill to save my hide if all these soldiers end up missing like the bad shots they are), but that doesn't give me a free-pass to be rude. When I couldn't find one, I simply set it down and twiddled the thumbs in front of the tip of my nose, the elbows paler from pushing against the countertop. I was slightly cross-eyed, so I guess it would've looked as odd as it did, seeing someone chuckled out of it. I never saw who though, seeing I decided to ignore them. _Jeez, _I thought, _am I really going to live here? That'd be sweet and all, but I can't…_endanger them, just to tell you what I was _going _to think until I heard a crash of sorts. I turned my head, eyes big like Mew (whatever), the annoying split personality of mine, and my face placid/confused, meaning there wasn't any brow raising, just a calm face without the scrunched up skin of irritation, the mouth being in a straight line. It was a little girl with sandy brown pigtails and a small pink dress with a bunny pocket straight in the center. I had to guess this was Ami.

"Are you Ami?" I whispered. She nodded. "Hi, I'm your cousin, Kaede Hinamori."

Like I said before, I never minded them calling me that, and I won't, and didn't ever force them to call me Lucy. She giggled and waved, skipping away and allowing me to see a milk bottle on the ground, a plastic plate below it and a small spoon sticking out from under the upside-down plastic. I huffed and strode once to squat down and gather up the items. I dumped them into the sink, turning the faucet to the right sink half where all the dirty dishes seemed to go and flipped on the water, rinsing the dishes by watching the water cleanse the dirt away, pushing the thing off and walking back upstairs, stretching and yawning. I stopped at the top, hearing several shouts come from Amu's room. I blinked and leaned against the wall, hearing the muffled anger through the thin door. It's not like I'm an eavesdropper, I was just waiting for some peace so I could go in and get the Manga. The doorbell was silent, so I was able to close my eyes. That's when I heard the door slam open and Tadase to run out with the King Guardian Character zooming after him. I was confused, but I stayed put. It made me uncomfortable for a while, seeing someone run out after several shouts being heard. I decided to stop waiting and just walk downstairs, sitting on the last step and waiting for the day to be over.


	5. Chapter 5

Five

I never talked to anyone the rest of that day, and I went up for bed the rest of the night before dinner had even started. I had already lost my appetite by seeing someone run after shouting. It just made my stomach churn at the thought that someone, a friend of a family member, was in pain. Yeah, I didn't get much of a sleep. I awoke two hours after sleeping to bags under the lids, my bloodshot red-pink eyes blinking to create some moisture. I stretched my arms and lifted my back up, hearing a slight pop. I swung my legs out from under the covers and slightly hopped to the floor, glad Aunt Midori was able to find a room with a bed, and not some sleeping mat. I pulled on an off-shoulder long, droopy sleeved black shirt that wasn't tucked into the white pants. I had the black sneakers back on and white tank top straps showing from under the top layer. I wrapped one black ribbon with white dots around the left horn and a white ribbon with black dots around the right, finding a black ribbon tied into a bracelet, so I put that on. I twisted the bronze knob to the hall, Ami sitting across the hall. I cocked my head to the head slightly and next thing, she's clinging to the pants.

"Cousin-cha!" she squealed.

I blushed, not used to little kids. "A-Amu!"

Amu came up, some school uniform wrinkled up and her bloodshot eyes moist with mucus. "H-h?"

Man was she out of the world. I huffed and pried Ami off, pushing her back with both palms upside down to across the hall, dragging Amu back to her room and 'accidentally' slamming her door in her face. Well, it woke her up. She shook her head and I sighed, opening the door wider until she slammed it shut, standing in front of it with her back pressed to it. Something was up. "What? I can't get my Ma-"

The door flung into the side of my nose and Amu was gone for a second until returning with the Manga in her hands. I scowled and snatched it. I would figure out what was up later. I walked downstairs, reading the dialogue and admiring the handiwork of 'VIZ MEDIA' in 'One Piece'. Sorry to those who hate it, but I like it (sticks out tongue to audience in head). Although with this I probably won't get to enjoy it anymore. I reached the kitchen to see Aunt Midori at work for breakfast, Uncle Tsumugu jumping out of _nowhere_ (almost gave me a heart attack D*MN it!) with a camera. I guess this is what Aunt Midori tried to hint back at the fountain. "KAEDE!"

I luckily side-stepped and he ended up tackling Amu to the ground who just came down. I smirked with victory and sat at the table, the pages of the Manga flipping continuously until I managed to finish when Aunt Midori set down the third plate. Amu rushed through hers and sped out, Ami singing with Uncle and Aunt praising. I was invisible, but there was a baby, who could resist that? I was the last to be done because unlike some (Mew), I don't scoff down my food like a rabid animal, although it was a close finish with Aunt Midori's. I rinsed the plate just like last time and wiped my hands on a towel, picking up the Manga and climbing up the stairs, leaving Aunt and Uncle to their odd praising. I walked in front of Amu's door, having done this a lot of times when Nana P*SSED me off (well, I _demolished _her room, this is just snooping). I twisted the knob with a simple flick of a wrist and the door shrieked when I slowly pushed it open, my body cringing with the racket. I shut the door behind me and looked around. Her box was gone, so I was safe to assume that she took her Guardian Characters, but there was a single egg in the box…a black egg with a spiky edged stripe in the center with black cat heads tilted as the pattern across it. I rose a brow and tapped the surface, the top popping up and a crack showing, so I leaned down to see a tiny cat-character. I could tell it was supposed to be a black cat, but it wasn't really a _cat_…how can I describe it? A little face with big eyes and 'paws with claws' (don't judge me) and a tiny black outfit with a silver cross.

Even he wasn't completely awake. "What's with waking me up-nya?" he muttered.

Yep, it was a cat. I sighed and flicked the egg harder, making the character's head shake and stare at me with wide eyes at my smirk. "You're in SO much trouble."

He gulped and I shut the egg, plucking it up and holding it in my palm. I faced the bed to see a lump of sorts, so I partially lifted the thick pink blanket to that pervert-looking guy with the midnight hair, the smooth color skin, and the black school uniform. His blue eyes that I saw the day before were shut, his lips parted slightly. He looked peaceful, both elbows bent and both forearms in front of his face, one lower than the other, and I didn't need to yank off the blanket to see that his knees were bent inwards to his stomach. I decided to just make him suffer a little and let him sleep, exiting the room with the little egg. Yep, Amu should _NOT _have kept that from me.


	6. Chapter 6

Six

I stared as the egg wobbled back and forth on the old desk in my room, shaking and most likely trying to get out. "Let me out-nya! Let me out!"

"You missed a 'NYA'," I tortured.

"IKUTO-NYA! IKUTO-NYA!"

I tapped the desk and held my head up in the other, the duct tape formed into an 'X' on the front working fairly effectively. The sun was starting to set, and the dude had not come for his egg. Chances were most likely that he had no clue that his egg was with me and that he remained in his room hidden from the Aunt and Uncle. Big eyes with a straight mouth stared up at the corner of the ceiling, having nothing else to do but tap the desk with a nail and hold my head up. Someone knocked on my door, so I stuffed the egg in my pocket and stood to answer it. When I opened it up, it turned out to be Amu, sweating and panting like she ran a marathon. "Were…you…in…my…room?" she demanded.

Well, I couldn't lie. Trust was good then. "Yeah, I was suspicious about your behavior, so I was wondering why you came out so fast _slamming the door in my nose_."

At least it didn't break. Sweat was coming down worse and she gulped. "Uh…did you take that egg in the basket?"

I shoveled it out of the pocket and presented it to her. She gasped and reached for it, but I held it high in the air, standing straight. "Nope, you're not getting it back Amu."

"Kaede!" she whined.

"Look," I set a hand on my hip, "I don't like brats, got that? Besides, it's bad enough you had some _guy _sleeping in your _bed_. What was his name…Ikuto, right?"

"I'm not being a brat!" she snapped.

I shook my head. "No, but you're close. Trust me, having lived for one longer than preferred."

"Okay, so I'm helping a friend out, big whoop!" she scolded. "Give the egg back!"

"Amu," I sighed, "do I really have to tell you why it's not good to keep stuff from yours truly?"

She shrugged. "I don't know! Look, just give him back!"

I shook my head. "Amu, I had this friend when I was eleven, okay?" She stopped jumping for it and crossed her arms, glaring up at me. "So, we were getting along well, but he was just staying for a while. We spent a day at the zoo as a last sort of thing and he told me he was going to some festival with his cousin. I asked if they were a boy or a girl. He said boy, so I was happy. I went there to give a last goodbye when I found that he cousin was a _girl_."

She blinked and dropped her arms. "Wait…there's more, huh?"

I shrugged. "That's Rated R for little kids like you," I shut my eyes, smirking with tease and pointing my head up to the right, shoulders up high and hands leveling with them, elbows pointed down. "So if you want to hear that, it'd have to be with some pink fluffy bunny with you at all times."

She sighed. "When can I get the egg back?"

"When you decide to start telling me these sort of things," I leaned down, hands behind my back with the egg still there. "So, tell me that the Ikuto guy wasn't actually sleeping in the same bed as you, please." She stared, so I frowned. "Jeez…I'm nineteen and that hasn't happened to me yet."

"Wait…you aren't twenty?" she asked.

I counted the days in my head. "I'm almost twenty, just a few weeks."

Yeah, best birthday ever. A phone rang and I dug in my pocket to find it was my own, so I leaned against the door frame with my right foot pushing against it, the left foot pushing against the left side of the entire door frame, and my right wrist resting on the left elbow crook, the egg in it's grasp. "Hello?"

"Lucy, where are you!"

I widened my eyes and gritted my teeth. "Yuka…why are you even calling?"

"Just answer the question so we can find you!"

"Look I'm-"-I sneezed, my feet standing straight on the ground to support my body-"-fine!" I hung up but it rung again. "Yeah?"

"Lucy, we're not joking!"

That time it was Kota. "Look, just get out of my life!"

I slammed it shut and the next time it rang, I huffed and regretfully opened it. "WHAT?"

Silence, "Uh…Lucy?" It was Mayu. "Where are you? We're all worried about you…"

I rolled my eyes. "Look, I'm _fine_. Now if you excuse me, I was talking to someone!" I slammed it shut and chucked it at a wall. I turned to Amu, now staring at me with one raised brow. "What Amu?"

She sighed. "That was them, huh?" I nodded. "What made you so upset that you got kicked out?"

I sighed. "I wouldn't apologize, so 'Yuka' said either apologize or get out. I chose getting out."

She blinked. "Wait…why didn't you just apologize?"

I stared at the ground, arms still crossed. "Look, that 'brat' is like me, okay?" She gasped slightly. "Oh shut up, I'm not the only Diclonius out there."

"D-Diclonius?"

I nodded. "The name scientists gave us…" My grip tightened around the egg. "Look Amu, this is why I was hesitant on coming. Diclonius can sense each other and they are violent, especially when P*SSED, which is why I'm saying don't hide stuff, because it's irritating."

She smiled. "So? You're my cousin Kaede. I don't care if you're some Diclonius or a jackrabbit."

I raised a brow. "Since when have we had a jackrabbit cousin?"

She laughed and I followed her to her room, ripping off the duct-tape and the little character bursting out, gasping for air like I was depriving him of it. I raised a brow. "What-nya…did-nya…put…on…the…egg…-nya!"

"Duct-tape," I lift up the peeled pieces. "It's not that hard, cat."

I felt someone snatch the eggshells out of my palm and I turned to in front of me, seeing that Ikuto guy. He pocketed the egg and smiled up at me. "Yo. I'm Ikuto Tsukiyomi. You are?"

I rolled my eyes. "Lucy Hinamori."

He raised a brow, smirking. "Didn't she just say you were Kaede?"

"She's delusional," I shrugged.

He chuckled. I noticed he was a bit taller, so her only leaned slightly. "Whatever you say…" he walked back to the bed, but stopped before sitting back down, "_Kaede_…"

I shuddered and scowled at Amu. "Bad-taste," is all I mouthed before storming out into my room to the phone ringing AGAIN. I grunted and snatched it. "WHAT DO YOU F*CKING B*TCHES WANT!"

Yeah, I was loosing it. Does it look like I care? "Lucy," came Kota's voice again, "we just want to know where you are."

I groaned. "Look, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I slammed it shut and stuffed it into a drawer. D*MN humans.


	7. Chapter 7

Seven

It was sunny, a total of three days from…that. I wasn't in Amu's room, but Ikuto came out once, but I barely talked to him, so I can't remember half of what he said. The next issue of One Piece was in my hands, my ankles covered with black sneakers and torn jeans crossed and the yellow T-shirt giving the yellow ribbons some purpose. Someone sat next to me, so I bothered to turn to Ikuto. I jumped and scooted to the far edge of the bench. "W-Where the heck did you come from?"

He honestly did surprise me, and it's hard to do that. He chuckled, bringing a foot on the bench edge, his knee becoming a pillow for both hands and the hands a pillow for the head. His eyes were facing me. "Nice to see you to, _Kaede._"

I shuddered and stuffed my nose back in the Manga. "It's Lucy to you."

"Aw, but that's not your name," he 'pouted'.

I sighed. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

I froze. Oddly enough…weren't those two lines from America's Twilight? I shook the thought out. "I-I'm nineteen, so back off."

He just scooted closer, both palms on the bench and his feet on the ground. "Hmm, I never actually knew what it was like to love an older woman…"

I felt like ripping off his head with a vector, but I voted against it. "Oh JES*S CHR*ST…Look," I set the Manga in my lap, "if I talk to you for a bit, will you go away?" He nodded and I turned all the way to him, legs crossed in front of me on the bench. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

Next thing you know, I'm flat on the bench trying to get away from his smirking face. "What about favorite things?" he purred, twisting a lock of pink hair that belonged to me (be creepy and assume it's from him why don't 'cha).

I gulped. Man this guy was and is hot for a seventeen-year-old. "S-Sure…just…get off."

He leaned back and set his right arm on the back of the bench, the left clutching my wrist that I didn't even notice he took! I snatched it back and returned my feet to the ground, hands clutching the jeans and my eyes staring hard at the ground. He went first. "I know this might be stupid, but what's your favorite color?"

"Pink I guess," I shrugged. "You?"

"Blue probably," he sighed. "Although pink might be…"

"Dude, don't go there!"

He laughed. "Alright, but your eyes are a beautiful color," he faced me with a smirk, making me blush and face the ground. "Your turn."

"Uh…" Jeez I've NEVER been this nervous! "Instrument?"

"Violin," he admits.

"Really? I've always favored the piano."

He shrugged. "Do you like ice cream?"

I blinked. "What's that?"

He stared at me with wide, sort of surprised eyes. "You're nineteen and you don't know what ice cream is." I nodded. "Okay, come on."

He took my wrist and I followed. "Where are we going?" I raised a cautious brow.

"To give you a taste of ice cream," he smirked back. "Trust me, it's good."

I trusted him alright, I just didn't want to. Sooner or later, we stopped in front of some little stand and I stood next to Ikuto with that look I had when I first saw Ami. The man handed Ikuto two cones, both with brown stuff (not CR*P) and we returned to the bench, and to tell you the truth I was hesitant. I mean why is it brown? I watched Ikuto lick at his for a while and then stared at mine. Sooner or later the structure started to melt.

"You know you're supposed to eat that, right?" he chuckled.

I gulped and brought it in front of my face, dragging the tongue up the side once. Cold, like snow cones, yet better in someway. Snow cones was and is my special thing with Kota, ice cream with Ikuto apparently. I smiled and continued. He laughed and made me freeze. My head cramped and I clutched it. On no circumstances did I want to become Mew in front of him. "Why are you laughing?" I spat. I wasn't one for being laughed at.

He patted my back. "It's just that you were so hesitant at first. Don't you see that you should trust me more?"

I jumped when I saw his face was next to my own. "WHOA! OKAY BUDDY BOY BACK UP A NOTCH!" He chuckled and scooted back, so I continued on with the ice cream which within another minute was reduced to nothing but waffle cone, which I gnawed through in half a minute. Ikuto cupped my left cheek and turned my face to wipe off the ice cream that missed my mouth, so that was a lot. I smiled at him and he smiled back. He's a nice guy, I have to tell you. I cleared my throat and faced the Manga in my lap. "Shouldn't you go? I mean you did say you'd go if I talked to you…"

He shrugged and stood. "Nice seeing you…_Kaede_." He was smirking seductively.

"One, I'm two years older dude," I held up the fingers, "and two, it's LU-CY."

He shrugged and walked off. I smiled and continued reading the Manga until some form of shriek met my ears. I covered the bleeding chunks of flesh and felt my eye twitch. I growled and stood, about to walk off when I felt something bite my ankle. I screamed and glared down to some dog. Well, it sucked then that I couldn't use my powers on animals. "SORRY!" I heard someone call. "HE DOES THAT!"

Some guy about thirteen came up, prying the dog off my ankle. I winced and felt at the wound, looking up to see the guy had russet hair and green eyes from what I can see. "Ah…it's okay…ouch…where did the dog get his teeth sharpened, I mean OW!"

He laughed at my positive attitude, happy it was there. He presented a hand. "Hey, I'm Kukai Soma."

I shook the hand with the clean one. "Lucy Hinamori."

He smiled. "Wait, are you related to Amu Hinamori?" I nodded. "Oh really? I never knew she had an older sister!"

I shook my head, smirking. "No, I'm just a cousin."

A girl, maybe ten to eleven, runs up and tackles Kukai from behind. "KUKAI!"

I noted the jock-looking Character with Kukai and the baby one with the girl with light brown pigtails and big brown eyes. "Uh…who's your friend…Soma-san?"

"Please, call me Kukai!" he laughed. "This is Yaya!"

She waved. "Nice to meet you!"

I stared at the Characters and shoved my hands in the pockets. "So you're Character Bearers as well?" They blinked and I sighed. "Jeez…is it that surprising that I can see them?"

They nodded. "You aren't really that young," Yaya blurted.

I grew red in the face. "O-Oh come on! I'm nineteen!"

"Yep, you're old."

"H-Hey!" I laughed. "Okay, and I thought he was mean!"

Honestly, I was talking about Kurama to be funny. Kukai and Yaya laughed. I felt someone tug the back of my shirt and turned to a little girl, Amu's age, with long sand hair and big eyes. She looked sophisticated, but she had a little clown Character with her. "Are you Amu's cousin?" I nodded. "Do you know who's her best friend?"

I sighed. "I'll ask her, kid. Now, anyone _else _going to sudden-"

A guy Amu's age with long black hair and golden eyes walked up. "Hello Kukai, Yaya, Rima, who's this?"

"This is Amu-chii's cousin!" Yaya cheered, hugging my waist.

_Oh dear God please help me_, was all I thought. To be honest I can't handle kids well. "So who a-are you?" I grunted.

"My name's Nagihiko. It's nice to meet you…"

"Lucy Hinamori."

"Right, it's nice to meet you Lucy-chan."

I smiled and looked around, and then to the sky. "No airplanes, no crashes, okay, I think t-"

"COUSIN!"

I groaned and held my face in my hands, the kids staring. "Oh the agony!" I mumbled into the warm palms. It was odd, since I didn't eat ice cream that long ago.

Ami came up, Amu and Tadase chasing her. "AMI WAIT UP!" Amu complained.

I rolled my eyes as Ami attached herself to my calves. "COUSIN!"

"Get her off," I mouthed to Amu.

She did so. "Hey everyone. I see you met my cousin Ka-I mean Lucy."

_Nice save_, I thought sarcastically. "Well, I should-"

"Hey, there's a fair nearby!" Yaya cheered.

"Can I please just fin-"

"If Amu-chan goes, I'll go," Rima shrugged indifferently.

"Hey I'm try-"

"Sounds like fun!" Kukai cheered.

"Je-"

"What do you say Lucy?" Amu looked up at me.

I sighed. "I think I would l-"

"AMI WANT TO GO!"

"YAYA WANT TO GO!"

"AL-"

"Come on!"

Jeez, I didn't finish ONE sentence. I sighed and was dragged along (nearly literally) to the fair. I didn't know who else would be there though.


	8. Chapter 8

Eight

"TEACUPS!"

"ROLLER COASTER!"

"TEACUPS!"

"COASTER!"

"LUCY-SAN!"

Yep, it went just like that between Ami and Yaya. I sighed and looked up from the Manga, since I couldn't go anywhere without these two. Everyone else was off having fun. "Yaya, Ami, why don't we just leave?"

"NO!" they whined.

"Then decide!" I huffed, sticking my nose back in the Manga. Remember that brat comment? Well this was two babies in a quarrel, so not as bad. As I was reading and they were fighting, someone chucked a soda at me and it spilled all over the Manga. I gaped and stood up, throwing the book to the ground. Yaya and Ami were staring. "WHO DID THAT!"

I heard laughter and sighed, glaring at none other than Nana. "GOT YOU!"

"What are you doing here brat?" I snapped, picking up the Manga and sighing. "You owe me a new Manga."

"No I don't!" she argued. "If I did, I'd be broke!"

"Too bad, brat, you owe me!"

"Uh…" Yaya tugged on my shirt. "Who's that, Lucy-chan?"

I grunted and clutched the ruined book. "Just some brat. Okay, why don't we ride the coaster first, since the lines tend to get long…"

Yaya cheered and Ami only agreed to go if I carried her. I did, and Nana ran up. "Hey! Don't think you can ignore me Lucy!"

"I'm not," I snapped, "I'm just choosing to spend the day with some friends of my cousins."

"What cousin?"

"Hey Lucy!" Kukai called from a ramen stand. "I bet that you can't eat as much ramen as I can in five minutes!"

I smiled, facing him. "I need to get these two to their rides, so later, K?"

He nodded and we continued. Nana huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, I'm not leaving, so I guess I'm going on the Coaster with you!"

I stopped and glared at her, leaning down to attempt to get to her level. "Leave. Now. Or. Else."

She shook her head. "Would you really do that in front of two kids?"

I huffed and looked forward. "Look, just leave."

She still shook her head stubbornly. "Make me."

I growled and set Ami down, placing my hands on my hips and turning to her with a glare. "I have other methods of _ripping off that ugly piece of SH*T _you call a _head_."

Yaya and Ami started crying. Nana growled. "I wouldn't be talking!"

I rolled my eyes with an evil smirk. "Please, you can't last a minute without someone looking after you."

"Oh, so you're living by yourself now?"

I shook my head. "I used to, when you were nothing but," I leaned forward and held up the right hand, the index and thumb pushing together as if about to flick her, which I did. "See, you're even gullible."

She smacked the hand away. "I am not!"

I chuckled. "Say what you want, squirt, it's the truth."

She screamed, drawing more attention than needed. "YOU'RE ALWAYS LIKE THIS YOU BI-"

I slapped a hand over her mouth. "Calm down, jeez! You'll get us thrown out and I have NO intention to hear those two complaining on hours on end!" I jabbed a thumb back at Yaya and Ami. I turned to them. "Yaya, why don't you and Ami go ahead? I'll catch up." They nodded and started walking off, so I turned back to Nana. "Why are you here anyways? You never answered-"

"Found you!"

I cursed and snapped my wide eyes and gaping mouth up to see Yuka and Kota running over. "Lucy!" Yuka smiled.

I huffed, shutting my eyes and hanging my head. "One day…just one day of some peace in this world…" I pushed on my knees to straighten my back and faced them, half of the pink croppy hair shielding the right eye. "What are all you guys doing here?" I sighed.

"We thought that we might have some luck finding you," Kota explained. "Lucy, come on. You can't stay away from ho-"

"I'm home," I crossed my arms. "I'm with _my family_. You are not family."

Yuka sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Come on Lucy, how long are you going to lie to yourself?"

I snarled. "I'm not lying, B*TCH."

Yuka gasped and Kota took a step forward, his face stern. "Hey, apologize Lucy," he points to Yuka. "That was uncalled for."

I shrugged with a playful smirk wide on my face, eyes shut. "Now throwing soda was uncalled for, yet Nana did it. Now if you excuse m-"

"LUCY!"

I snapped my eyes open and turned to see Yaya with Ami, running to me. She stopped, panting, next to me and looked up at me. "Yeah?" I raised a brow.

"Okay, we got to the Roller Coaster, but there was something that said 'RE-no-va-sion."

I chuckled. "That's _renovation_, Yaya. It means they're constructing on the site."

She blinked. "So…"

I sighed, sweat dripping. Jeez did Kota, Yuka, and Nana have to see this? "You can't ride it. The teacups should be open still…"

Ami screamed with excitement and clung to my calf. "CAN WE GO C-"

I clapped a hand over her mouth. I was laughing nervously. "U-u-uh sure! Let's get a move on!"

I was shoving both girls forwards, Kota and Yuka following me with Nana following them. Sooner or later (what felt like eternity), we made it to the line and thankfully someone beat Kota and Yuka before they could get behind me, but next to the rail was all they needed. "Lucy, stop trying to avoid this," Yuka sighed.

I crossed my arms and face the ground to the top of Ami's head, the one that was still clutching to my calf. "Stop trying to tell me what to do. I'm not a kid anymore."

"Really because you're sure acting like one!" Kota snapped.

I laughed, making Nana shield Yuka and Kota out of fear I was going to rip their hearts out or something. "Please, I never had a childhood!"

We were next, so I hurried Yaya and Ami into a cup and loaded myself in, my tall figure barely fitting and making Yaya laugh. I was smirking and as the thing started, we were spinning as fast as we could turn it, which was the second fastest of all the teacups. I was scowling playfully at Nagihiko, Kukai, and Tadase as they were first. After getting off, I could barely stand straight. I laughed when I had to support myself on a fence post. "FERRIS WHEEL!" Ami cheered.

I shook my head. "Look it's getting-"

"FERRIS WHEEL!" Yaya cheered with her.

I sighed and Tadase came up with the others. "We can take them if you want," he offered.

I shook my head. "Nah, I'll go. But you're welcome to come along."

We walked off to see Amu in line. She waved to us and we walked next to her, all of them talking about something while I watched for Kota. Jeez I didn't want to see him. Someone snuck their hand in my pocket and chuckled in my ear. I knew who it was, so I just blushed and faced forward, leaning back on the rail with my hands clutching the cool metal. "Looking for someone?" Ikuto asked.

I shook my head. "W-What are you doing?" I jerked his wrist out of my pocket. "Jeez, you don't do that to people you rapist!"

He chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Aw, I don't get a hello?"

"Hello!" I snapped. "Now what do you want?"

He held my cheek with two fingers and tilted my head up a little, him leaning in close. "I wanted to see you of course."

I groaned and jerked the wrist away, turning to move up the line, grateful the kids were all missing this. "Why don't you go bug someone else?" I muttered, shoving my hands in my pockets.

"You really want that?" he laughed.

I sighed. "Oh whatever…I'm pretty sure you have better things to d-"

"Lucy!"

I froze and gradually turned to see Kota running that direction. I cursed. "Ikuto, I'll see you at the house," I mumbled.

He smirked. "Alright, alright, _Kaede_."

He leaned in and pecked my cheek, making me gasp and blush until my face was a tomato. He walked off, leaving me silently cursing him for doing that _purposely _in front of Kota for entertainment purposes (he's not a great liar if you ask me). Before Kota could actually come up, a cart opened up and I was in front. I ran in and next thing I know, Nana runs in, lying that we were sisters. I growled when she went in and I shut the door, the dude working there checking to see if it was secure. After the doors were checked, the ride began, lights flickering on the sides of the Ferris wheel. I sighed and crossed my arms. I actually wanted to enjoy this without having to restrain my expressions around Nana. She wasn't so happy looking either.

"Why do you push everyone away?" she suddenly snapped. "Papa tried to help you."

I shook my head. "He's not even you're dad, as* hole."

She growled and shut her eyes, hanging her head. "HE IS!" Tears fell into her lap covered with a simply pair of shorts. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW?"

Suddenly the ride jerked and made my butt slam onto the floor. I glared up at Nana, who was fearfully looking around the cart. "Stop that!" I screamed. "You're going to kill everyone!"

She shook her head. "This isn't-"

I heard creaking and the ride jerked more, sending her onto the floor as well. I stood and looked out. The workers were panicking and the loved ones of those on the ride were more so. I puffed and looked around. The observation of ours being the only one rocking around occasionally made me raise a brow. The cart jerked again and I slammed into the wall, making it swing violently. Nana gulped and I cussed, mapping a safe route out. That wasn't helpful at all since something snapped and made the cart fall. Nana screamed and I widened my eyes, gasping, and rushing out of the door, catching Nana's wrist and jerking her out, jumping onto the main structure as the cart slammed down into the cement, nearly crushing five. We were dangling, the nearest cart containing Tadase and Amu. I gulped and looked down (tip: don't you EVER look down). I widened my eyes at the incredible height we were at, seeing we were in the middle of the right side. I was glad that I kicked it back on my way up, so it missed Tadase and Amu. I looked through the crowd and saw a little girl with pink hair and a hat worn low, vectors maybe five meters long protruding from her back. It sucked that there was six, but do you think I cared?

I had to get down without revealing myself to be a Diclonius. The girl was clutching her head, the vectors swinging. Yep, she was out of control. A dent formed where my hand was and I jumped, shocked a bit. I started to fall, Nana screaming, until I chucked her at the Tadase-Amu cart with all my might, the brat managing to catch the door.I grabbed onto another metal part and shut both eyes as the edge cut into my skin. I opened one eye to look down once again (tip: don't look down more than once just because you fell a bit). I was certainly closer to the ground, but it was snap-ankle distance, and I WOULDN'T land myself in a cast. I started climbing down slowly until dents formed around me, making the sweaty fingers slip off and something pulling me away from the metal. I reached for it, but I couldn't I was falling.

But this doesn't have a bunch of soldiers aiming guns at me huh?

I gritted my teeth, refusing to scream in fear (rare) and once more reached, this time my fingers barely grazing. That was my last chance. I kept falling and eventually I slammed into someone, both of us crashing to the ground. "Jeez, for a hot chick, YOU'RE D*MN HEAVY!"

I recognized it. "Gee, thanks," I spat at Ikuto. "I'm nineteen, you're seventeen, REMEMBER?"

He nodded and I was surprised no part of him was broken. "So," he pushed himself up to offer me a hand, "falling just like Amu, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Please. I never fell into a dog house."

He laughed and people were being unloaded. Amu, Tadase, Nagihiko, Yaya, Ami, Rima, and Kukai all came running up, Nana running to Kota and Yuka of course. "Are you alright?" Amu demanded.

"How did you survive?" Yaya cried. "I THOUGHT YOU WOULD-"-hug-"DIE!"

"Thanks for the confidence boost," I sighed.

Tadase was slightly glaring at Ikuto, and Ikuto slightly glaring at him. I raised a brow and ignored it. That Diclonius girl came up, tugging on the back of my shirt. "Excuse me, Miss, but how did you survive?"

I shrugged, lying of course. "Lucky, I guess."

She pointed to her back. "You saw them."

"Saw w-"

Her head exploded and I widened my eyes to see my own vectors. I blinked and felt at my back. They were there alright, and P*SSED off with the kid. Blood splattered and I was hit with most of it. Some sickly went into my mouth, so I had to spit it out. Everyone was staring at where she was. Kukai cleared his throat. "Um…I think we should all go home…"

We all nodded in agreement, Ikuto and Amu dragging me out rapidly due to my frozen shock.


	9. Chapter 9

Nine

I sat in the bed. It was four days after the fair, and I never came out of my room once. Heck, I was so traumatized I resulted in drinking my own urine to keep myself inside. Of course I had my survival methods going to an all time low, but I didn't and will NEVER go as far as eating you-know-what because I'm starving. I just picked off some skin and ate that. That whole routine allowed me to keep my bladder in check until the fifth day, so I decided to stop drinking urine (okay, it was ONE little paper cup used for rinsing mouths) and ran out, bumping into Amu who had that questionable/exhausted look that blinked as I flashed by, and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and my first means of business was washing the foul taste out of my mouth. The rest is personal mind you.

I came out of the bathroom with my mouth numb from body wash and a whole hour of holding my mouth under the shower faucet. I had flossed my teeth, brushed sixteen times after soaking them in body wash over and over, took a shower myself for thirty minutes, so my hands looked like prunes, and I pretty much bathed myself in some perfume bottle I accidentally snagged to get rid of any remaining odors. Plus, the fact that it got in my eyes made me pretty much drop the urine-drinking and go to the 'HOLY F*CK MY EYES'. I crawled downstairs and saw Amu, still there. I raised a brow and checked the calendar. It was Sunday. I shrugged and opened the fridge to take out a piece of bread, sitting at the table with a napkin under my mouth and the bread sticking to my pallet frequently. Ami eventually came, so Amu slammed her head on the table. I saw she had that same up-ponytail with the rest of the hair down, the red 'X' clip, but the outfit was some black shirt with a collar and pink checkered lines for trim and a skirt to match the trim.

"Having a bad day?" I asked.

She raised a brow at me. "It just started," she blinked. "How long have you been in there again?"

"Four days," I counted.

"How did you-"

"Don't ask."

She cocked her head to an angle. "But I didn't even as-"

"Don't. Ask." I made unfulfilled plans to dump more perfume in my eyes later to get that memory out (obvious huh). I yawned and Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia all came down. Ami of course went after them while they were screaming their heads off. I had to chuckle. "Wow, it must be nice to have a Guardian Character," I sighed, stuffing the rest of the bread in my mouth.

She shrugged. "They can be annoying."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. Annoying is when someone spills milk all over your school bag."

She nodded and stuffed some of her own breakfast into her mouth. Yoru flew down, yawning and stretching. "KITTY-CAT!" Ami screamed. Yoru followed the volume demonstration and followed Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia's running demonstration. I tugged on the white ribbons on my horns and shifted my legs tight in some mid-thigh white skirt, the same black off-shoulder top and the white tank top beneath loose over the thin torso (thinned to be precise).

"So, where're Aunt Midori and Uncle Tsumugu?" I asked

"They're working," she shrugged. "Hey, do you think that I could go out later? I sort of want to visit a friend."

"Which," I raised a brow, crossed my arms on the table.

"Rima."

I nodded. "As long as you get home before freaking midnight, I'm fine with it."

She smiled and Ami started clutching my calf once again. "Cousin!"

"Hey…" Amu raised a brow. "Who was that guy with you last night?"

"Huh?"

"Yaya said some guy was talking to you. There was a girl your age and another one of…what did you say you were called?"

"Diclonius, A)," I sighed, "and B) that guy that kicked me out."

She nodded and after a while stood and left the house. I decided to follow her example. "Where we going?" Ami asked as I took her little wrist.

I heaved her up to carry her, since she seemed to like that like ALL kids. "Just walking."

Well, I would've enjoyed that, but we ended up walking through the market because she wanted to see what was there. I had to hold her the whole time to prevent her from running off. Eventually I accidentally bumped into a girl with russet hair and what I believe to be green eyes. Ami waved. "HI!"

"Ami!" I groaned, covering her mouth. "Sorry."

The girl laughed along with her apparent posse. "It's alright. May I ask your name?"

"Lucy," I simply answered. "What about you?"

She froze as if I was supposed to know that. She shook it off after a bit. "I'm Saaya!"

I nodded. "Nice to meet you. Do you know a Amu Hinamori?"

She beams. "Yes! In fact we're best friends!"

Lie, but I had to admit Amu was in fact popular (and now). I pulled a fake smile. "Well, that's nice. Well, I have to go."

I walked past and I saw Tadase a little while away and Ami jumped down, running to him. I tried to stop her, but I heard someone scream. I'm still not exactly sure why I only heard it, but I rushed after it anyways. I stopped in an alley to find some kid being mugged, two guys with black hoods and one with a violent pair of brass knuckles. "PLEASE! I TOLD YOU I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!" the child sobbed.

I ran in between and spread my arms and legs out as a shield. The guys took one step back and laughed. "Back, off," I snarled.

The dude with the knuckles beat them against the palm of his hand. "Well, well, look at what we've got here."

I smirked. "Don't mistake me for a slut, douche bag."

He froze and growled. "What'd you jus' call me?"

"You heard me," I laughed.

The other drew out a knife. Oh that was fun.

I refused to use the vectors, seeing they might have went ballistic like at the fair and I'd once again be traumatized that the little boy died that I'd drink yet another urine cup (jeez I can't get that memory out even now). So yeah, the fighting hurt, but I'm not only good at using vectors. I trudged out of the alley about twenty minutes later, my lip swelling, a nasty purple bruise on my forearm, a slash at the collarbone due to a strike with the brass knuckles, a fractured wrist that never got a cast, but healed after a week (A.K.A-three weeks ago). I also had a nasty black eye, my leg sore so it was limping. The boy ran out as well, smiling at me and running to what I assumed to be his mother. I dragged myself off to no particular area until I eventually fell against a tree, panting and my head hanging. I spat out some blood and I heard someone jumping onto the ground. I didn't bother to look up, but I knew it was off a stair.

"LUCY!" I heard Amu's friend, Rima, cry.

"What happened?" Amu asked next to me.

I smiled weakly and looked over to their worried faces. "Just…a little fight…"

My hand slipped and my knees buckled. Someone picked me up bridal style without any objection. I could barely hear them at all, but I could slightly see the moonlight hair. Yep, Ikuto once again. I went limp and my head crashed into the tree next to us.


	10. Chapter 10

Ten

Mew's eyes fluttered when she woke up. Her eyes were wide and curious, her mouth in a small little gap you'd see on an aroused child. She sat up, sitting on her calves that were slightly spread out. She stared in awe at the room around her. She never saw a room quite like this before…EVER. The heard the door open and looked over to see a thirteen-year-old with pink shoulder hair that seemed she just got out of bed and yellow pajamas. Mew smiled and waved, making the girl blink. "Wow you really hit your head," the girl blinked.

Mew took that as a 'who are you', so she presented a hand. "Mew!"

"OH CR*P!" the girl yelled. "IKUTO!"

Mew blinked, the smile fading into a confused frown and her eyes slightly watering. Why was the girl yelling? Did Mew do something wrong? A tall guy with midnight hair came in, his eyes deep blue and looking up and down at Mew, making the poor girl even more confused and close to tears. "Mew?"

The guy slapped his forehead. "Jeez…she really hit her head huh?" The girl nodded. The guy sighed and walked over, sitting next to her on the bed. Mew blinked and the guy smirked at her. Mew didn't get it, yet she smiled. "Hey. Do you remember us?" Mew shook her head at hearing 'remember'. The guy leaned in. "Well, I'm your boy-"

The girl jerked him back. "DON'T YOU DARE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER!"

Mew cocked her head to the side and then caught sight of a butterfly out of the window. Her mouth widened into an open smile and her wide, innocent eyes glistened with the sparkling sunlight. The girl went up to her and smiled. Mew smiled and tackled her, laughing and tickling her. The girl was laughing out of control. The guy…he looked envious that the girl was being tickled instead of him. Eventually that had to stop and the girl turned to Mew. Mew's stomach growled, so the boy pushed the girl back a little and hugged her shoulders. "Why don't we get you something to eat, huh?" he smirked.

Mew nodded happily and the girl jerked the guy away once again, grabbing Mew's wrist and dragging her down to a kitchen. Mew sat in a chair (wooden thingy with sticks) and happily twiddled her thumbs much like Kaede/Lucy at the time she saw Ami. Only this time she had her tongue in her cheek, concentrating like it was some huge contest of sorts. The boy sat next to her, but not for long since the girl jerked his chair back and filled the vacant spot with her own, setting a plate with two pieces of buttered toast on it in front of the clueless side personality. Mew ate through the whole plate happily, nearly eating the plate to if not for the girl restraining her wrist. Mew got a clue for once and set the plate down, staring around the kitchen in wonder. Everything was so casual (pretty) that she could barely take her wide red-pink eyes off of the whole thing. That is until she caught the sight of a 'little person' floating, a green cooking outfit on. Mew cheered and ran over, staring at the little thing with wide eyes.

"Mew!" she cheered, clapping her hands.

The little person laughed and turned to the girl. "Amu-cha, where's Lucy?"

'Amu' pointed to Mew. A pink cheerleader 'little person' and a blue artist 'little person' flew up as well, smiling at Mew. "Aw…" the pink one stuffs her face in tiny pom-poms. "She's so cute!"

"Ran, she's the same as Lucy," the blue one blinks.

'Ran' didn't seem to care. Mew fell onto her calves and started tracing things into the carpet out of boredom, which made the three little people freeze. "Mew!" Mew smiled and cocked her head to the side, her eyes hidden. 'Amu' walked over to see that she drew a light heart in the carpet with her nail with 'K+M' in there. "Who's 'K'?"

Mew froze and blinked her slightly confused eyes. She stood up and looked around. "Kota?" Mew heard the room gasp, but she didn't really head it. "Kota? Kota? KOTA?" The more she called her friend's name, the more she felt worried that something bad happened. She twirled in one complete circle and screamed, clutching her head. She couldn't believe she couldn't find him! "KOTA!"

Nobody knew what to do, just that this girl was freaking out, and probably not at the worst extent. Mew fell to her knees, screaming until she was horse, which wasn't for a while. When all she let out was a strong gust of air, she froze and felt tears leak down her cheeks. She wanted to see her friends. The guy came over and patted her back, rubbing it up and down while he was at it. "You want to see this Kota guy?"

Now, _I _didn't want to, but Mew doesn't listen to ANYTHING. What? You think just because I was knocked out and had a vague clue on what was going on, doesn't mean I'm not still talking (my brain has an OVERLOAD)? Mew just sat there, trying to think up ways to get out of her little 'dilemma'. Sooner or later, Amu got a little magenta pot and placed it in front of Mew, Mew staring at it like the idiot she is. "Come on, they're cookies," Amu smiled warmly.

Oh how Mew loves her cookies. She whipped the top off at the mere mention of the word and smiled once she saw the tiny little cookies. She grabbed one square that had four tiny squares, two diagonally beige with the dough and two diagonally brown with chocolate. She popped it into her mouth and started beaming. It was chewy, and EVERYONE (well, maybe not you) knows that any chewy cookie is a good cookie (come on, I've been in a facility for how long and I know that!). Everything else for the day was pretty much Amu and 'the guy' trying to decide who'd do what, in which Amu got most of the split personality burden because, admit it, the guy is a pedophile.

Yet, that didn't stop him from coming into the room around ten, seeing Mew awake and sitting up in the bed. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Mew looked terrified; the blanket clutched in her hands and held up to the tip of her nose. She was staring at the floor at something, in which the guy (who do you think) found was a mere spider. He sighed and picked it up, opening the window and chucking it out, shutting the window soon after. Mew wasn't convinced, so this gave the guy an idea. He walked next to her and patted the area between the two white horns on her head, so she (of course…) hugged his neck and permitted him to rub her back up and down. She was trembling. "Mew!" she cried, still terrified about a _mere spider_. She doesn't have arachnophobia even! She's just scared of EVERYTHING!

The guy patted the back of her head. "Relax. It's not going to hurt you."

Mew hugged his neck tighter. "Ko…Kota…" she tried to push away, but the guy obviously was worried she'd do something. "Where Kota?"

He sighed. "Not here right now. I don't even know who you're talking about."

Mew stared at the ceiling and hugged her ribs, shivering. It was about 35 in the room. "C-C-ole…"

"Cold?" he asked. Mew nodded. He smirked and sat in the bed next to her. He opened his arms and Mew crawled into them, shivering like crazy. To be honest, you'd think our body would be used to the cold since it spent years stuck against some metal table put up vertically. He evened his back on the soft bed and Mew curled up with her head and upper torso on his chest, the rest just really close to his side. He had one hand on the back of her head and the left arm was wrapped behind her back and the left hand clutching the left waist, which was pressed against the mattress. "You're okay. No need to worry."

He clutched the waist and Mew nuzzled her head into his chest, falling asleep with multiple snores.

She woke up the next morning, having apparently moved since she had a leg on each side of him and her arms were wrapped around his neck. She jumped off quickly and checked for missing garments, at least I think she was. Who knows, she could've been looking for missing freckles for all the intellect she has? She walked out, nervous, and walked downstairs to find Amu sitting on a couch and reading, a date highlighted on a calendar. Mew walked over to read that the day was a holiday, so she simply shrugged (didn't know she could) and sat there on the kitchen floor, staring up at a shining hook on a pan/pot rack (not 'pot' the drug). The guy came down and chuckled at the sight of Mew, sitting next to her and looking overly happy. That scared Mew, but she was able to restrain the emotions she would've liked to express.

The doorbell rang around lunch, Mew flinging some rice at Ikuto as payback for 'accidentally' (yeah right) dumping rice on her blue checkered skirt, even though he was across the table. Amu answered the door and Mew smiled at the voices. "Hey, have you seen this girl?"

"KOTA!" Mew cheered, rushing out of the seat and to the front, tackling Kota. "KOTA! KOTA! KOTA!"

Kota was taken a back, but then slightly glared at Amu. "Why was she here?"

Amu sighed. "She's my _cousin_. She came here to visit. She hit her head and now she's…uh…a _cat_?"

Mew smiled. "MEW!"

The guy (you should know this…) came up and gently pried her off of Kota. "You don't randomly tackle people you know," he chuckles.

Mew just smiled. Kota raised a brow. "Who are you?"

Of course he had to smirk and hug the shoulders of Mew. "Before she hit her head, we were boyfriend and girlfriend."

"IKUTO!" Amu gaped.

Mew was slightly startled by the scream, so she jerked out of Ikuto's grasp and backed up. Why was she yelling? Why was she upset? Kota was red in the face. "Yeah right!"

"Ask her yourself," Ikuto pointed to Mew.

Mew nervously looked down and poked her empty stomach. It felt chubby, so she just HAD to say "Bulge."

Kota sent a full-blown punch to Ikuto's face. Yuka wasn't with him, so yeah. "WHAT THE F*CK DID SHE JUST SAY?"

Mew stared up. What happened? She hugged her ribs and looked around. What would have to happen? She spotted the cookie jar and snuck towards it, horrified as Amu tried to restrain Kota, who tried to pulverize Ikuto for suspected sex (bulge, think about babies and what they look like outside…a bulge). Mew quickly nabbed the jar and set every cookie on a napkin. She huffed and shut her eyes, smashing the jar full-force at her face. "LUCY!" Amu cried.


	11. Chapter 11

Eleven

I woke up with one HE** of a bloody nose. My eye twitched and my wrist was burning from the fracture. I looked around to eventually see Kota, so I rolled off some couch. "WHAT THE F*CK? HOW DID YOU GET HERE?"

He blinked and gently smiled. "Hey Lucy. Your cousin let me in and you seemed to greet me warmly enough then."

I gritted my teeth and balled up the skirt's sides. "D*MN you Mew…"

Ikuto walked in with, also, one HE** of a bloody nose. "Yo," he greeted, his voice shifting with the tissue pressed up to his nose.

"What the…?" I raised a brow. "Okay, is anyone going to tell me what happened?"

"Not really," Amu walked in with a brand new cookie jar, offering me a FAT, fresh cookie. I snatched it as fast as Mew would have and closed my lips on it, my teeth secretly nibbling the chewy cookie (THEY'RE GOOD). She laughed. "Wow, you really love cookies huh Lucy?"

"Name's Kaede," I held up a finger, speaking with my mouth full, "chewy cookies, and WHAT THE F*CK IS KOTA DOING HERE?"

"Easy, he came while you were in that 'hit head' state," Ikuto sat down on a chair, leaning his head back. "He punched me for NO REASON…"

Kota directed a hand at me. "DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT SHE SAID? YOU'RE THE ONLY AVAILABLE SUSPECT OF THAT!"

"What?" I raised my brow with alarm.

Amu laughed nervously, so I sighed and walked over to Ikuto, stuffing one hand in his pocket, making him jump with surprise, and I snatched out the egg. "HEY!" he yelled.

"Amu," I tapped my foot against the carpet.

"Hey!" she held up her hands. "I was going to tell you!" I nodded and offered the egg back to Ikuto, Kota staring at all of us like we were crazy. "You said bulge."

I widened my eyes and next thing you know, I have Ikuto pinned with all four vectors on the wall, snarling at him. "YOU BETTER NOT HAVE MADE ME PREGNANT!"

"I DIDN'T!" he groaned. "JES*S CHR*ST! I DON'T F*CK THE FIRST GIRL I SEE PEOPLE! In fact…I NEVER HAVE!"

I crossed my arms. "Honest?"

"HONEST!"

I dropped him. "Then why did she say bulge?"

"I DON'T KNOW! IT'S _YOUR _SPLIT PERSONALITY!"

Man did he sound P*SSED. I sighed. "I can barely remember half the things she does most of the time, Ikuto. Now, if you simply tell me all you know, ice cream on me."

He thought about it for a minute or two before nodding, seeing that I was going through a lot right now. "Okay, last time I checked, when I fell asleep, you were in a very odd position, but since 'Mew' has the mind of a two-year-old, a suicidal one at that, I thought it was normal. She probably did that because, like you and your over-reacting friend, _ASSUMED!_"

I nodded and turned to Kota. "So you had to hit him in the face? Okay, and you can clearly see WHY I chose to GET THE F*CK out of there."

Kota sighed and crossed his arms. "All you had to do was say TWO WORDS. Is that so hard?"

"I'M NOT APOLOGIZING TO THAT D*MN BRAT!" I screamed, making Amu and Ikuto duck out of dodge. "Jeez…first it's the phone, then the fair, and now my cousin's house? Kota, why can't you get a hint?" I clapped my hands together in that way you pray. "I-am-not-going-back!"

Someone knocked on the door and I gradually turned. I walked for it and twisted the knob to Yaya and Rima. "Hello," Rima greeted, "is-"

"AMU-CHII!" Yaya burst in.

I laughed nervously and bid Rima to come in as well, shutting the door and turning to Kota. "Conversation OVER," I mouthed with one index nail jabbed at him.

"What the heck happened to Ikuto?" Rima raised a brow.

"Easy, thought the yarn was a girl and there was a needle," I chuckled.

"Oh haha," Ikuto snapped. "You know, for all I care, just go ahead and die."

"IKUTO!" Amu scolded.

He walked past my paralyzed figure and out the front door. Kota stared and Amu gulped. I blinked and turned to the door. "H…He's bound to come back…" I assured myself aloud. "I-I mean, it's not like he has many places to go…"

"Lucy?" Yaya worried.

I ran upstairs and slammed the door. Man all I needed was some simple sleep, but NO MORE STAYING IN FOR DAYS. I plopped my aching back on the bed and looked over at the One Piece Manga pile. I sighed and looked around multiple times. The room could've used a good _bombing _to make it look better. I sighed and stood, having nothing really better to do. In the middle of it, I heard the front door shut and footsteps coming to the room. I didn't bother to answer the knocker, so they really just invited themselves in. I never turned. I was still a little stunned by Ikuto's comment. "Hey…" I heard Amu sigh. "Was that a vector you used on Ikuto?" I held up four fingers and returned to alphabetizing the book shelf. "Four of them? Kaede, I know raping isn't good, but you just assumed! That's taking it over-board!"

"I agree-desu!" Su (green cook) flew up next to me.

I blankly turned to Su. "Yeah, well you're her Guardian Character," I spat with traces of venom in the tone. "You _have _to."

"No, we don't," Miki (blue artist) flies up. "We're who she wants to be. There's something called a Character Change that we use often, and it basically changes who she is for a certain moment of time. Do you think that means we agree with her when we use them?"

I heard someone tap on the window and turned to see Yoru with a slightly confused expression. Dia let him in and he flew in, sniffing the air. "Hey…is it just me, or do I smell a Guardian Character?"

Everyone froze, and all eyes were on me. I ran out and peeked downstairs from the rail…I was the only suspect.

Now, you'd think I should've been excited, but really, what did I know about them? Nothing, I knew nothing about the eggs. I was silent for the rest of the day again, and I pretty much ignored it. Well, bad mistake.

**A.N: Sorry for the late chapter. I've just been busy with this other story. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**See you next chapter-**


	12. Chapter 12

Twelve

Two days before the wrist would fully heal. I woke up that morning tired and with a creaking back. I winced at the sunlight streaming from an open window and pushed off the covers.

"AAAAAH!"

I headed for the bookshelf to grab a health book. I looked up 'pregnancy' and looked around for 'eggs'. Yeah, all I got was a platypus. Honestly, I might not be human, but I doubt I'm some duck-gopher-beaver-cockatoo or WHATEVER it is. I threw it at the shelf and stared at the egg resting on the bed. I cautiously walked over and plucked it up. It was warm. It had a light clover-colored base with two Uzis crossing muzzles with two roses in the center, one red and one white. Was this really a Guardian Character egg? I blinked and walked out of the room, freezing in the middle of the hall._ Should I tell Amu? Ami can see them as bright as day, so that would be a waste of time…_ I already voted out Ikuto since he might've taken my egg as payback for all the times I took his. I wrapped my fingers more securely around the egg and pocketed it, my hand still with it. I walked downstairs and froze once more at the bottom step. Ikuto was standing right there, leaning over the kitchen counter, whistling softly, while his Character was munching on dried sardines. Amu wasn't in sight, neither was Ami.

Ikuto stopped suddenly and turned with a raise brow. He walked over and sniffed the air. The only thought I had was _Oh SH*T do I still smell like P*SS? _Yep. Give me an award for _that _thought. Of course, that apparently wasn't the case, so I was 50%-50% grateful. "Hmm."

"Hmm what?" I raised a brow.

He stepped back a little. "You have the scent of birth."

I blushed deeply. Do you know how _wrong _it sounds once you think about it REALLY hard? "N-No I don't! Jeez you F*CKING pervert!"

He chuckled. "I didn't mean sex wise," he stuffed his hands into his pockets, leaning slightly for my face, so I was leaning back. "I meant _Character egg_ wise."

I gulped. "W-What? I d-don't know what the heck you're talking about!"

He laughed, straightening. That made my instincts nearly vote over to rip his 'annoying little SH*T bag of a head' off. "Why are you stuttering if it's not true?" he teased. "You have an egg."

I shook my head. Well, it's harder to try and restrain your vectors from ripping apart a HOT guy! "No I don't!" I lied on and on.

"Why did you scream then?"

…You know I was considering a censor for him at a minute. Think about birth…and screaming… "Nightmare!" I screamed, my hand never leaving my pocket. "JEEZ!"

"Oh really, what was it about then?" he asked seductively.

I froze. _I c-can't tell him my usual nightmares…he'd never like me…wait what? _"T-That…uh…"

"See? No nightmare."

"Yes it was!" I snapped. "It's just that it's more of a Rated R thing that's NONE OF YOUR F*CKING BUSINESS!"

He was STILL smirking. "I'm seventeen, remember that," he leaned in, "_Kaede_."

Oh F*CKING jeez. I sighed and stepped back. "LOOK," I snarled. "I don't WANT to tell YOU, okay?"

He still didn't believe a word I said. The Character came up, a dried sardine in paws and mouth. "Hey-nya," he waved. "I have a question-nya."

"Go ahead," I yawned. It WAS 3:00A.M.

"How did you push Ikuto into the wall two days ago-nya?"

I froze, all wind out of my lungs, eyes wide, and body slightly trembling. Oh yeah, I did push him with the vectors. Why I didn't remember that, I will NEVER know. I mean come on! You'd think I'd remember that after all he didn't know a thing about my being as a 'Diclonius'. I gulped and raked the back of my neck with sharp nails, yes, trying to cut it open. "U-Uh…"

Ikuto wasn't smirking anymore. "Yeah…how _did _you do that?"

Someone knocked on the door. I thought I was grateful, I thought I should be happy I wouldn't have to answer Ikuto's question, but when I opened it…

"Have you seen…Lucy!"

Yeah, it was Kurama, you know? The guy trying to stop the team from firing? Oh yeah, he wasn't mentioned in the present huh? Well, that's for three weeks and two days later of the ago. Well, back to the past, I was absolutely _astounded _that he was there. "W-What the heck are you doing here?" I yelled. I tried to shut the door on him, but was he persistent. "GO AWAY!"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ikuto asked behind me.

I screamed and he backed up, hands in the air. The vectors charged out and smashed the door frame nearly in two. What was he doing here? Why? Did I do something? Was it about that fight? Was my existence somehow put under a death sentence? Well, yah, but that was three weeks and two days later to the NOW. I pushed harder against the door and Ikuto tried to pry me off. "GO AWAY KURAMA!" I yelled.

"LUCY!"

I gasped and the door flew into my nose. Yep, Ikuto chose to call me what I preferred him to call me right then and there. I heard a nasty crack and backed up, covering my nose gushing with blood. My hand was no longer in the pocket with my Character egg. Kurama was finally in, red in the face from pushing the door open. "OKAY!" he huffed. He straightened and shifted his tie a bit. "Lucy, I'm NOT here to hurt you…"

"YOU'VE SAID THAT-OWWW! HOW MANY TIMES?" I screamed, Kurama obviously thankful the door was shut. "I MEAN SERIOUSLY! WHAT THE F*CKING HE** ARE YOU DOING HERE? IS IT AGAINST THE D*MN LAW TO VISIT SOMEONE? I. DID. NOT. KILL. ANYONE!"

Ikuto was staring alright. "Hold on," he blinked. "Why would he accuse you of murder?"

Yep, I was at the point of heart attack. "Uh…"

"Lucy here is a Diclonius," Kurama sighed. "A dangerous being."

"She's not dangerous-nya!" Ikuto's character snapped.

Kurama blinked and pointed at him. "What's that, may I ask?"

I blinked and exchanged glances with Ikuto. "Is he supposed to…"

"Some adults see them," he shrugged.

I sighed and stood up straight, both hands still over my nose. "It's called a Guardian Character," I explained. "They come from eggs from your heart or soul or whatever Amu said…" I blinked, still not comprehending where they came from. "They're 'dreams and wishes of people' and that love-SH*T my cousin explained…"

"Cousin," Kurama stated.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah…It's not like I can't have some family, you know?"

Ikuto poked my shoulder, so I turned to him. "Is anyone going to explain why he thinks you'd murder someone?" he asked impatiently.

I gulped. "Yeah…um…"


	13. Chapter 13

Thirteen

Kurama left after a LONG discussion on how I didn't kill anyone, how I was behaving, and that even though I was probably about to be murdered brutally by a certain cat, I would not kill, otherwise they'd come to bite my head off with bullets (NOT THE CASE HERE!). Ikuto and I were silently sitting on the couch. Trust me, you don't know the mere definition of 'awkward silence' until you've been through _that_. I cleared my throat when Amu entered the house just for comfort. "So Amu, how was school?" I asked, a bit of nervousness nipping at my tone.

She shrugged, "Eh, it was just like any other," she sighed. "Ikuto, what are you doing out of the room?"

"Why would you prefer him in your room where all your under things are?" I raised a brow.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, says the girl who doesn't wear a bra."

"I keep asking what the fck it is and I don't get an answer, just stares!" I groaned. I froze and turned around to Ikuto. Jeez he wasn't even trying to look down my shirt somehow, just staring at the ground. I mean seriously, when I _want _him to be peeping, that's a sign that it's too weird to have him so…solemn. I groaned and stood up, walking to the other side of the coffee table with my hands on the hips and the legs partially spread. "Talk dmmit!"

He didn't then. Amu raised a brow. "What happened while I was out?" she asked.

"Oh nothing, just a death threat sent to me," I shrugged. What? It's a played out gimmick for me.

"WHAT?" she screamed. "We have to call the police!"

"NO!" I widened my eyes, flailing my arms. "NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Amu, it's a death sentence just to call the police on them!" I huffed. "Besides…" I smiled slightly, shrugging like when I told her that memory of Kota and the festival was Rated R for kids like her. "I'm used to this sort of thing."

"SO?" she panicked. "IT'S NOT OKAY!"

"Look," I sighed, "I am who I am, and they threaten me for it."

She opened her mouth to speak, but she froze and her eyes widened, turning to Ikuto. "Y-You…You know now?"

Ikuto stood (much to my surprise that he was alive) and blankly walked upstairs. I rolled my eyes and sat on the couch, stuffing my hand in the pocket with my Guardian Character egg. It was still warm. Amu ran up after Ikuto and I turned to the clock. I raised a brow. "Hey Amu?"

"Yeah?" she called down.

"Weren't you supposed to pick Ami up?"

"I thought you were!"

I face palmed my forehead and stood, grabbing a jacket and running out the door. My feet were pounding on the concrete and I eventually came to a stop in front of a preschool/kindergarten. I ran inside, my lungs too worried to pant at all, just sweat a lot. "Excuse me?" I called a woman's attention. "Is Ami Hinamori still here?"

"No, she was picked up by her cousin's sister," she explained.

I widened my eyes and ran back out. Of course it was Nana! I was out for hours, screaming 'AMI!' until my throat was numb, but I was pushing it even then. I _had _to find her! Eventually I came into the market and someone lightly bumped into me. I jumped back and gasped. It was Mayu, Ami holding her hand. "Lucy!" Mayu smiled. "This is your cousin, right?"

"COUSIN!" Ami squealed, tackling my legs.

Mayu laughed. "I guess that would be a yes."

I was speechless to be honest (out of the throat, not surprise), so I just nodded and picked Ami up. "COUSIN!" she tackled my head.

"Hey, Lucy?" Mayu shifted her feet. "Can you not be mad at Nana? I mean Yuka did say she wanted to talk to one of your cousin's…"

"One?" I mouthed.

She held up a letter and I leaned down to see it was the letter Amu sent…the one with the address and everything. Kota picked it up when he was at the house. "Sorry about this," Mayu sighed. "They really miss you."

"Dmn…" I whispered, seeing my throat wasn't the best. I straightened and frowned. "Look," I mouthed. "Tell them I appreciate the 'kindness', but I'm NOT going back, okay?"

I walked around her and headed home, but that took longer than wanted, since Ami just wanted to play in the grass and all. I even drooped down to the point to let her stick flowers on my head (my eye twitching at the point she nearly covered my hair with dandelions). When I got back home, there was a note from Aunt and Uncle, so I rested the sleeping Ami on the couch (takes hours to tire that little speed demon out) and plucked it off the fridge.

_Sorry to leave Amu and Ami to you at such short notice, but we both have important job meetings in different cities._

_Will be back in probably two weeks,_

_Aunt and Uncle_

_To _

_Kaede._

"WHAT?" I screamed, my voice having to be stunned to scream. "HOLY FCK WHY WORLD WHY?"

I heard Ami yawn and Amu came downstairs, cocking her head. "I gather you saw the note?" I just stared at the note, absolutely horrified. DIDN'T THEY KNOW I'M HORRIBLE WITH KIDS? Apparently _not_, so they just HAD to load the two on me. "Hey, Kaede, did you by any chance get a Guardian Character egg?"

I froze and slid my back against the counter side to the ground. The letter shook and I couldn't keep my vectors in, so they pooled next to me. Amu couldn't see that though, so she stepped a little closer. "Amu-chan!" Miki cried. "I sense a Guardian Character!"

I sighed and put my head in my hands, the vectors debating whether or not to return. "When did my life become such a screwed up roller coaster?"

I felt the egg wiggle and looked at my pocket. I automatically knew something was wrong, so I took several deep breaths and stood. "Are you okay?" Amu wondered.

I forced the vectors to return, turning to her with a small smile. "Yeah, I guess…did you have dinner already?"

"No."

"Then let's see what I can make," I sighed. I opened the fridge to take out rice and chicken. Shouldn't be that hard, right? I set them on the counter and went up to wash my hands before touching food (can't care about health?) and bumped into what felt like a door frame, what was Ikuto. "Sorry," I apologized.

He looked up, smirking, which made me gulp and take a step back. "No worries," he leaned in, "_Kaede_."

"A) What did you do? B) What drug did Amu dope you with to stop said act? C) It's LU-CY and D) Distance, pedophile."

He chuckled and next thing you know he has his hand in _my _pocket. Not _his_, _mine_. "Aw, but then I can't do this."

I tried pushing him away normally, but he ended up pushing me against a wall with his free left hand, the right hand still in my pocket. "HEY! GET OFF!"

He chuckled. Well, someone returned from the dead. "Oh come on, what's a little _fun _going to do?"

"KILL YOU!" I shouted, still pushing normally.

"Now, if you really wanted this to stop…" he leaned RIGHT next to my ear. "…You would use those extra arms of yours…"

I gasped and blushed out of embarrassment. Was that what it was about? No. "S-Shut up!" I snarled, my vectors indeed slipping out. "I c-can't use them all the time!"

He laughed, making my blush worse and tears brim. It was cruel, that's what I thought. "Aw…" he smirked. He rubbed my cheek with his left thumb. "Someone upset?"

I slapped his hand away. "JERK!"

He rolled his amused eyes. "That's not going to help you any."

I raised a brow and he pushed his body against my own, his hand going further into my pocket. That's when I noticed it was in fact _NOT _the pocket with the egg and that this was most likely a rape attempt, and with kids in the house! I mean seriously talk about shameful! His breath tickled my face, although that made me want to use the vectors even more. Him clutching the thigh under the pocket was just the brink of things, so that's when I tired to knee his nuts, but he ended up shifting a bit and my knee went up next to his waist, so he used the left hand to hold it under the knee-pit. I tried to rip out his hair or SOMETHING, but do you think that did sht? Nope.

"Hey Kaede," Amu called. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah!" I replied. "C-Can you make it? I just remembered something!"

"Okay…" she sighed.

I shoved at Ikuto's head. "Back off!" I hissed.

I mean was he seriously drunk? He didn't seem like it the next day, but then he sure as heck convinced me! His lips closed on my left ear's frame and the teeth faintly scraped it. I growled and kept trying to shove him off. I would NOT use my vectors. He would be okay the next day, I knew it then as well as I knew he was a pervert. I wriggled and tried to get away, so he took his lips off my ear. "You know you could at least enjoy yourself Kaede…"

"Lucy," I hissed, "and this isn't fun or funny!"

He chuckled and slipped his thumb out of the pocket, only his thumb, and dragged the side of the black pants down, slightly showing the white lace (Yuka said it was either the lace whites or thin blacks and the lace at least covered the butt and V). He chuckled. "White lace huh?"

"SHUT UP!" I nearly screamed. "GET OFF ME!"

I tried stomping on his foot, but due to the other leg being held hostage, I slipped so my V was up against his stomach. He chuckled and took my other leg hostage, the hand out of the pocket. He forced me to straighten up, so my chest was at least in front of his chin at full sit up position, and he pushed my back against the wall, kissing the bottom of my chin. I kept pushing and pushing at him to get off, but let's just say he somehow mistook that and ended up slipping the pants even further down, you-know slipping as well. I kept wriggling. "Stop it," he laughed. "I can't get your pants off if you keep doing that."

I slapped him and he dropped me, my pants to my mid-thighs and my you-know half off the butt. I pushed up and jerked them back on. "Pedophile!" I snapped, running into the bathroom.

I sat on the toilet seat and stared at the ceiling, the door to the bathroom locked securely. I had the cousins to look after and a pedophile. I hated him then, only soon to fall hard for him.

**A.N: REVIEW PLEASE! **

**I HAVE A POLL, SO CHECK IT OUT!**

**I HAVE WRITTEN OTHER STORIES, READERS, SO TRY GIVING A WHACK AT THEM (M rated ones are usually safety measures or slightly suggestive themes)**


	14. Chapter 14

Fourteen

Next day, I was in a pink elbow sleeved shirt with a black dress with spaghetti straps over it. I put on gray and black socks and tied purple ribbons to my horns, a red ribbon to my neck, but I didn't put on any shoes, since I was just staying inside the whole day. I plucked the egg from under the bed and smiled as it seemed to be okay, grabbing a little box with tiny holes and placing the egg inside, taking a while to find a small strap to make it a tiny bag (or box with a back pack strap). I walked out and went downstairs, freezing when I saw Ikuto leaning against the counter with his back, Yoru munching on salmon and Ikuto staring up at the ceiling. _Suck it up,_ I hissed at myself. _It's not fcking murder. But…that sure as hll WAS scary…_I shook my head and walked into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and trying my best to ignore the stupid raping cat. I took out some napkin bundled up and opened it to those cookies from the (then and now shattered) cookie jar. I sighed and plopped it onto the counter, nibbling on one while (cartoon wise) sweat dropping (life wise) chuckling nervously and sweat leaking out of the skin.

"Hey Kaede," Ikuto yawned. "What happened yesterday?"

I choked on the cookie in my mouth. Was he serious? I mean come on you have to admit that's not something ANYONE generally forgets. He tried to help, but I pushed his chest away with my hand and waited for the cookie to get back into the correct pipe (which is why Ikuto is dumber than a cookie (I don't care, he just is)). Amu walked downstairs, staring as I was beating on my chest (no sick thoughts people). "Did something happen?"

"I asked her a question," Ikuto blinks, "and she starts hacking all over the place."

I growled at him and snatched up the napkin, stomping over to the couch in the other room and plopping myself down on it, shoving another cookie into my mouth angrily. "Hey Lucy," Amu blinked, "what's that box?"

"Her Guardian Character obviously," Yoru spoke through all the salmon.

"I don't have a Guardian Character," I defied, the egg wiggling.

I patted the box secretly and felt Ikuto sit next to me (thankfully not directly). "Stop lying. We already know."

"Blah, blah, blah," I snapped, shoving another delicious victim of my terror of hunger into my mouth.

"What did I do?" Ikuto screamed, arms spread.

"Don't worry, she's like that when she's tired," Amu shrugged, walking into the kitchen.

I pointed at the spot she used to be. "Thank you!"

"She's not there anymore, you know that right?" Ikuto sighed.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, shoving yet another cookie.

"Okay, that's it," he snapped, snatching the cookies out of my hand.

"Hey!" I snarled.

"You can't just eat all of them!" he fought. "I mean it, Kaede, what did I do?"

"You know perfectly well what you did!" I stood, screaming.

"NO I DON'T!" he threw the cookies onto the coffee table, pushing himself up. "IF I DID, I'D BE LAUGHING MY AS OFF!"

I grew red in the face out of anger. "Look just SHUT UP!"

"MAKE ME!"

I slammed him into the wall with a vector, pssed as heck. "SAY THAT AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD!" I threatened.

"HEY!" Amu ran in. "Stop it Kaede!"

I growled and sat back on the couch, hugging my knees to my chest. I buried my face in my knees and thought and thought as the egg wiggled and wiggled. _Why is he lying? Why won't he just come clean about yesterday? _"Kaede…" Ikuto sighed. "Look, I'm not sure what I did yesterday, but all I remember is going up to the room, hearing the door slam, and that's IT. I swear it!"

I glared up. "And why should I trust you, you stupid pedophile?"

Amu gasped and turned to Ikuto. "What did you do?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Ikuto roared. "JSUS CHRST HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?"

"A million," I muttered.

He heard me, and I immediately knew he was serious because he actually _did _say it a million times (I counted). He was panting at the end of it. "BELIEVE ME NOW?" he gasped, falling flat forward on his face.

I was blinking, just blinking. I wasn't feeling guilty for my actions (even though it's making me feel like sht now), just…blinking. Amu poked his ribs and I sighed, grabbing a water bottle and my cell phone, tearing off the back and making a few copper wires stick out.

I don't think I have to explain what happened next.

He jerked around like a rubber doll caught on the tail of a jet and scrambled up and FAR away from me. "WHAT THE FCKING HLL?" he roared. "YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME!"

"Your point?" I snapped. "You're alive, aren't you?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, YOU HOMICIDAL FREAK!"

I froze. I dropped the phone and the water bottle from my trembling hands, my eyes wide and slightly moist. Amu was blinking as if trying to decide who to side with. My hands fell limp at my sides and I sniffled, racing up the steps and slamming into my room, ducking into the closet and locking myself in. I hugged my knees and buried my face in them, waiting for the water to just go away. Only the weak cried, that's what I thought then. I was up there for at least five hours, the socks damp and the box jerking around madly. I huffed and opened the box, taking out the egg and holding it in my hands. It was still warm. I smiled weakly and patted it. "You're safe with me," I whispered. "You'll hatch soon, right? So I don't have to keep hiding you? I mean come on…if you hatched, then Ikuto would have less chances of capturing you."

The egg shook roughly and cracked in the middle. I gasped as it floated up and the crack stretched around the middle. The two halves blew apart to a little Guardian Character with red eyes, light purple long hair with a few bangs and some dark purple areas, a blood tank top, black pants, a brown holster with the TINIEST pistol you'll ever see, and bright red socks, which made me wonder. "Hello," she mumbled, shifting her hips a bit with one arm at her side and the other clutching the elbow in mid-air, floating. "I-I'm Tee."

I blinked. "Why do you look like a little girl being trained with guns?" I asked, maybe it was rude, but still.

She shifted even more if that was possible. "I-I'm your wish to protect people."

"Again," I waved my hands up and down, "little girl?"

"Eh, that's how I came out," she shrugged, still mumbling.

"Don't tell me you're shy," I sighed.

"Actually, I'm a little tired from trying to get out of the egg all this time," she admitted.

I sighed and unlocked the closet, stepping out, Tee sitting on my shoulder. "Well…let's go downstairs. The cookies should have survived the-"

"COOKIES!" she sped out.

I laughed a little. Yep, that's my character for you. But right now that's a little of the past…I went downstairs and saw Amu and Ikuto arguing in the kitchen, them and the Characters completely oblivious to the little character covered with Snicker doodle crumbs. I walked over and sat down, shoving one into my own mouth and eavesdropping into the conversation out of mere boredom. "I DON'T CARE!" Amu screamed. "YOU DON'T SAY THAT!"

"IT JUST CAME OUT!" Ikuto defended. "I MEAN SERIOUSLY DO YOU THINK I'D SAY THAT ON PURPOSE TO A HOT CHICK?"

I blinked, in which I couldn't help but laugh at that. And I mean LAUGH. AMERICA could hear me for crying out loud! I mean seriously, he thinks I'm hot, I think he's hot. It's weird don't 'cha think? I smacked into the floor, rolling on my back, and everyone (but the sleeping Ami) came in, staring. Tee was hiding herself under the couch. Amu smiled. "Well, someone came out of their troll cave."

I was wiping tears out of my eyes. "Oh boy…that was too funny…"

Ikuto came over and sat on the couch, staring at me. "What was?"

"Oh nothing," I chuckled.

"It sure didn't sound like nothing…" Yoru muttered, covering his ears with his paws.

I shrugged and sat next to Ikuto, stuffing a cookie into his mouth. "Eh, private joke."

He chuckled and ate the cookie, swallowing it and the phone in the kitchen ringing. "I'll get it!" Amu volunteers.

"Over my dead body!" I laughed, racing her to the phone. I still won despite that I was farther (I didn't cheat people).

So the day was indeed more relaxing than the previous…until dinner that is. This should sum it up.

"PEDOPHILE!"

**A.N: Poll**

**Review**

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**Something to think about (I like doing these things): If you were Lucy and liked Ikuto the way she does, how would you have reacted to that 'homicidal freak' comment?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Lucy: Sorry people!**

**Linkinpark9799: SO SORRY PEOPLES! I COULN'T LOG ONTO THE FLIPPING SITE! Well…Lucy here was slacking.**

**Lucy: Do you know how hard it is to have to put up with Ikuto while standing in the middle of guards aiming machine guns at me?**

**Linkinparkfan9799: Yeah, they're called KotaXLucy fans.**

Fifteen

The day after my wrist fully healed, two weeks and six days ago, Amu said some friends were coming over. I didn't mind, being the wonderful cousin I am (I might've been a misanthrope, but there was and is always room for my family [and dreamed future family]). So I was clad in nothing but a long light blue button shirt, twelve-year-olds underwear (not from Amu), and white bobby socks. At the time after she informed me, I was sitting in front of the mirror in the bathroom, tugging the brush through the wet pink mass. May I just say this? With horns, brushing hair is harder because you're trying not to knock into the horns. Besides, the thing wasn't tamed for a while (that and the nightmares wouldn't stop), so yeah, I was stuck in there for more than an hour. When I came out, I was knocked down and my back slammed into the door frame, my head spared. I winced and looked over to see Amu, laughing her butt off.

"What was that?" I raised a brow.

"S-Sorry!" she laughed. "I'm just trying to hide from Nagihiko!"

I nodded as she ran off and held a thumb in the air. "Have fun with that!"

Tee flew up to my head, rubbing her Character-stomach sized eyes. "Kaede-chan…when can I show myself to them?"

I smiled. "You could've already," I shrugged innocently. "Not my fault you didn't catch that."

She grinned as well and sat in between my horns, checking her tiny pistol. "Aw…do you have any bullets?"

"You're not shooting me," I pointed at her, my eyes all the way up in a stupid attempt to look at her.

"I'm not," she giggled. "I just need it to arm myself."

I sighed and shook my hand as if it was a sock puppet. "Sorry," I moved my hand, again, as if it was a sock puppet. "No doll bullets here."

I pushed myself onto my feet and Nagihiko walked upstairs, waving at me, eyes shut. "Have you seen anyone come past here?"

I pointed in the direction Amu went. "Open one eye," I instructed.

He did as told and nodded, walking in that direction. I went into my room and pulled out simple sweats, slipping them on and yawning, plopping onto the bed and taking a bottle of soda off the nightstand, checking if it was mine and finding it NOT. I froze and looked around, looking under the bed to none other than a snoring Ikuto. I sighed and snatched a clip off the nightstand, clipping his nose with it. I walked out and leaned against the wall next to it, both Tee and I waiting for…yep, it came. Ikuto ran out, a little purple and gasping for air. "WHO THE HLL PUT A CLIP ON MY NOSE WHILE I WAS SLE-oh it's _you_."

I held up a peace sign. "Yo."

Now, do you think he was happy? Yeah, he was, and that's not even the _creepy _part. He chuckled seductively (when doesn't he?) and leaned in the required amount to be }{ away from my lips. I was blushing lightly, sure, but it's not like it meant anything…then at least. "I think you forgot the suffocating part of your little plan," his breath tickled my nose.

I wrinkled it slightly to prevent from sneezing on his face and he laughed softly. He pecked my nose tip and straightened, walking downstairs with me looking like (o;). I am not kidding, I honestly looked that ridiculous. I swear if I was in an anime, I'd have ten million sweat drops and blush lines! In reality, I was just sweating like a boar. I shook my head roughly, not even noticing Tee was clinging to the back of my sweaty neck the whole time. She came in front of my face smelling like, well, sweat, so I handed her a tissue to at least get the main stuff on and we walked to the kitchen sink to get her to wash the rest off, which took quite a bit. I looked under the cabinet for kids to find none, and to my curiosity I looked all over.

"KAEDE-CHAN!" Tee called. "I FOUND ONE!"

I raised a brow and walked over, bending my knees down to see that Rima kid in the closet, under a pile of jackets, pants, and umbrellas. "Yo," I held up the peace sign. "You doing okay?"

She raises a brow. "Who's that?" she sits up, her clown Guardian Character (who I learned previously to be Kusu-Kusu) floating up to Tee and cocking her giggling head to the side. "Why did she call you Kaede?"

"That's my name," I shrugged. "I just go by Lucy because it's more original. Oh, and this is Tee."

"H-Hello," Tee shifted. "I-I'm Tee, Lucy's wish to protect people."

They looked at Tee and I like we grew two heads (well, I sort of grew a head, but it's too complicated to joke about). "Wait, so you have a Guardian Character?"

I nodded and someone knocked on the door. Out of paranoia, I was instantly up. "Stay here a second. Close the door to," I instructed.

She did as told and I walked over to the door. I opened it and screamed, slamming it shut and jamming the handle shut by kneeing it and bending it out of shape. I ran upstairs and ducked into the bathroom, doing the same and clutching my head, pacing. Of course, that's where Yaya was hiding. She peered out and raised a brow. "Are you okay, Lucy-chii?"

I shook my head, biting on my right fist, the left hand clutching the right upper arm, and my red-pink eyes wide. "This can't be happening…this can't be happening…"

"What's wrong?" she cocked her head to the side.

I looked down at her and sighed. "It's a bad person."

I heard the front door being knocked down and Yaya covered her mouth. I nodded and she ducked back into her hiding spot. I shut the window curtains and my vectors crept out, but not to attack. They pushed against the door to make sure it wouldn't open. I took several deep breaths and opened the door, locking the inside and shutting it then. I crept down the hall and stuck my head out of the corner of the second panel of stairs. Professor Kakuzawa was right in front of the first step, grinning at me. "There you are Lucy," he sighed. "Now, why don't we go back-"

"NO!" I screamed, pushing myself away from the rail and slamming into the opposite wall. "NO! What the fck are you doing here? YOU HAVE NO RIGHT HERE!"

He held up search papers. "Actually I do. Now, Lucy, let's go."

I gritted my teeth, but reminded myself of the promise to Kurama. I had to at least try and call him, tell him to call this madness off. I shook my head and tried to run, but I guess he was faster, because he grabbed my waist and hoisted me up while I was kicking and thrashing. "LET ME GO!" I screamed. "HELP! HELP ME!"

"There's nobody else here," Kakuzawa laughed.

I heard the smashing of a lamp and he let me go, stumbling back and tripping back on the stairs, scraping his leg, but living none of the less. I looked over to Rima, a shattered lamp in hands. I nodded and we ran up to my room, where I did everything possible to make sure nobody could get in while Rima found my phone, turned it on, and tossed it to me. I dialed the vague recollection of Kurama's number, having heard it several times in the facility, and heard it ring three times. He wasn't there. I chucked the phone in the closet on a jacket pile and searched around, looking under the bed to something Ikuto must have left; a pen. Now do you think I have many sharp things in my room? Well, yeah, but that was _after _all this crazy sht. I snatched it and drew out, facing the door and then Rima.

"Hide. Now," I instructed. "Either that or run as fast as you can to find the others. Don't. Get. Caught."

She nodded and I opened the door, Rima running for the bathroom, where Yaya resided. I ran down the stairs as the dck rose, raising the pen and stabbing it down, but he caught the newly healed wrist (man was he a btch) and twisted it, making me scream and drop the pen. _Crp. Should've used the vectors when I had the dmn chance. _I kicked and he released the throbbing wrist, allowing me to run to the kitchen drawer and draw a butcher knife, chucking it and ending up hitting the wall. I cursed and he leapt for me, so I jumped out of the way and slammed into a door frame, wincing and pushing against it to run for another weapon. I grabbed the nearest thing and chucked it, but he was pssed and had a _pistol_. I mean are you _fcking kidding_? Tee flew down, panting like crazy, and crushing her eye lids together, throwing her head back with fists at her sides.

"SHT! SHOOT! SHIELD!" she screamed.

A pistol melted into my hands and I pulled the trigger.

Light.

BAM!

Blood.

I pistol disappeared and I widened my eyes, seeing the big gaping hole in the right side of his chest. He was clutching it and Amu, Tadase, and Kukai ran downstairs. I was wide eyed, shocked. As true as it might be that I've killed, it doesn't instantly translate to I enjoy it. I'm not sure how Ikuto didn't come rushing in yet, but he didn't, and Kakuzawa fell to the ground. Two words you'll hear just this once…

…I cried.


	16. Chapter 16

Sixteen

Two days later, I managed to show my face again, and Amu was not alone once again at the table. Ikuto was sitting there, smiling softly at me. Well I didn't want to accept it, so I quickly turned away and trudged to the fridge, not having as much energy as usual. To tell you the truth, I think I know why I can't forget the 'drinking pss' (if I have to remember it, you have to) incident. You see, my wrist wasn't turning out well, so I started cutting it with my nails and that only made it worse…so I was being rational. Unfortunately that meant I had to clear out the trash can, and that thing smelled HORRIBLE. I was just grateful nobody but Tee knew I pssed on myself like a five-year-old intentionally doing it. I grabbed the orange juice out with the clean hand and uncapped it, drinking out of the carton and leaning with my back to the counter.

"Kaede-cha…" Tee sighed.

I sighed and shut my eyes, arms crossed, carton clutched, and ankles crossed. My head was tilted down. "That's me."

Amu walked up, smiling. "Is that your Guardian Character?" I nodded. "Aw, she's so cute!"

"And deadly," Tee admitted, shifting.

"Eh, not your fault," I shrugged happily, standing up again. "Remember who could have used her extra arms."

"Oh yeah…why didn't you?" Ikuto raised a brow.

I sort of froze. "U-Uh…"

"Oh yeah, why didn't you?" Amu cocked her head.

Well, just because she's my cousin, it doesn't translate to that she knows _everything _about me. "Y-Yeah…um…"

"She can't just use them willy nilly," Tee excused me. "I mean if she did that we'd have to be reconstructing the house."

I nodded. "Yep. That's it. These things don't always have a control system like you'd want."

Amu nodded and sniffed once, holding her nose. "Does anyone else smell something extremely bad?"

"Probably Kaede since she's been in her room 24/2," Ikuto sighed.

I scowled. "If I take a bath, will you feel better?"

He nodded and I rolled my eyes, still not aware I'd fall for him eventually (we're getting there hold you're underwear!). I stalked up to the bathroom and a hour later, my fingers and toes were prunes and water dripped coldly off my skin as I got out, having zoned out in the middle of it for the third quarter of the time spent in there. I snatched a towel off the rack and dried my hair and horns, staring at the mirror once I looked up. A nineteen-year-old with one messy bob of pink hair, horns sticking out of the sides of her skull, pale skin, bags under the red-pink eyes, and multiple faded lines on the wrist. That's all I saw in it. I grabbed a white sagging shirt and jean sweats or whatever, tugging them on and slipping socks with white sneakers on my feet. I walked out, grabbing some spare ribbon before heading out the door, despite Amu and Ikuto's constant protests.

I was mostly thinking about how I hadn't seen Ami in a bit, but she usually kept in her room. Tee was on my shoulder, stretching out her back. I was facing the ground and her tiny movements lead me to insanity after a minute or two, so I grabbed her in a fist and held her in front of my 'fck it all, I'm Goth' look.

"Keep doing that and I swear you're going in the fire," I growled.

She flew out of my hand, hands on her cheeks playfully (the face people, always assume it's the face). "Oh no! She's mad! She's mad!"

I rolled my eyes, amused to be honest, and chased her. "Get back here!"

She laughed, I laughed, the flowers laughed, the trees laughed, the sky laughed, the grass laughed, everything around me laughed. Eh, what the heck did I care? I was happy, a little bit like now, but still vastly different. I was running and laughing, I'm standing and my mouth frozen as it opens in a gap. I wasn't shocked or stunned, just happy, I'm shocked and stunned and a little bit happy I'm dying, just a little. I was healthy, I have a little puke in my throat. Yep, that's the gist of it.

I rammed into a pole in mid-chase and held my nose. Man did _that _hurt. My nose bled and Tee flew around my head, panicking (cartoon wise: flying to one spot and freezing while sweat went everywhere and her head clutched in hands went side to side rapidly, repeat for about thirty seconds). "That had to hurt," I hear someone mutter.

I growled and turned to some blonde chick with pigtails, a black dress that was the same coloring as Ikuto's, and purple eyes. "Who the hll are you?" I grumbled.

"What's it to you?" she snapped.

"It's to me what my pain is to you," I crossed my arms. "Now answer, punk."

To be honest she looked like she was fifteen. She placed her hands on her hips. "You have no right to talk to me like that, oldie!"

"I'M NOT OLD!" I flailed my arms. "IF I WAS OLD, I WOULDN'T HAVE A SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD PEDOBEAR ON MY CASE ALL THE TIME!"

I didn't know what it was then, but Ikuto sure had the definition. She raised a brow. "You mean Ikuto Tsukiyomi?" I nodded. "He's my older brother."

I laughed a little. "You look NOTHING alike, girly. Now go and play with your little dolls or WHATEVER."

She grew red in the face. "Look, I'm serious. And stay away from him!"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "Or what pippy?"

She looked straight at Tee. "You wouldn't want to know with your precious little Guardian Character around."

A devil Guardian Character flew out from behind her, an angel not far behind. It chuckled and I glared at it. "Touch her, and you're guts WILL be dog meat the very next second."

I turned around and heard her scoff. "An empty threat."

I grinned a bit and turned, holding up my hand and my vectors drawing 'I AIN'T KIDDIN' BTCH' on the back of my palm. I walked off and Tee pointed out several places she wanted to see, so we went in them and by the time we were done, I had twenty dollars left in my wallet. I raised a brow and turned to Tee. She had a little calculator (the fact it came out of nowhere made me grin) and small reading glasses, punching in numbers and looking at me. "We're missing some," she squeaked.

I sighed and looked back in the wallet. "Crp. I wonder what happened to it…"

"Uh…"

"What?" I groaned.

I heard someone cock a gun then. "Give me the rest of that wallet, baby."

I growled and snapped their wrist with a vector. "What the fck did you just call me you tiny dck?"

I turned and sent my heel around to the side of his face, making him slam against a wall. Of course, he had a _gun_. So yeah, the rest of the fight went pretty much like this in the middle of a crowd, most of which calling 9-1-1.

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

Cock.

SMACK!

KICK!

Light.

BAM!

Thud.

Screaming.

Blood.

"SHT! SHOOT! SHIELD!" Tee screamed.

The pistol appeared in my bloody hand, several bullets in my arms and legs. I aimed it and shot, hitting right in the left chest. I spat out some blood and fell to the ground. Tee stood next to my head, poking and shaking it to a degree. All I can say is, I fought the black for only her.

**Something to think about: What would you have done if you were Lucy and the thief came up to you like that?**


	17. Chapter 17

Seventeen

Mew yawned and her stomach growled, so she sat up with multiple bandages over her arms and legs. She tugged at one and cocked her head to the side when she saw dry red stuff. She shrugged and stood up from the bed, tugging at the handle of the door and wobbling over to the stairs due to leg damage and sneaking down to the second flight, leaning against the rail and giggling (okay, _**I **_don't giggle, but she does). That boy with midnight hair was sleeping silently on the couch and she ran over, falling on her knees next to the couch, calves spread under her butt, and started poking his cheek until he woke up with a confused look, turning to look at the ecstatic Mew. He smiled.

"Oh good, you're awake," he patted my head. "Mew, correct?"

"MEW!"

"Thought so."

_I really don't blame you _is all my conscious self of ME thought then. Mew jumped up and clapped her hands. "MEW!"

Ikuto chuckled and stood. He leaned in. "So, Mew, do you want to do something?"

"Mew?" she cocked her head to the side.

"You know, play a game," he shrugged.

That made me comfortable with the whole left-home-with-two-kids. Ami ran in, clamping onto my calves. "COUSIN!"

Amu ran down and groaned, yanking Ikuto into the closet and praying Ami didn't see Ikuto. "Ami!" she laughed nervously. "Uh…that's technically not Kaede…"

"Yes it bis!" Ami giggled.

"No…that's Mew," Amu sighed. "Spilt personality." Both Mew and Ami were blinking, so she was sweating nervously. "She acts different from cousin."

"Oh!" Ami smiled. "Okay!" She detached herself and walked in front of me, presenting a hand. "Hello! Me Ami!"

Mew blinked at the hand and finally comprehended that she needed to insert her hand with the other and shake hands. "Mew!" she smiled.

"Okay Mew!" Ami laughed. "Want to play a game?"

Mew blinked and pointed to closet. "Ikuto Mew, mew-mew, mew."

Amu laughed LOUDLY and nervously and jumped in front of the closet door, three tired Characters flying down. "Oh great…" Ran sighed.

"Should the heroine even act like that?" Miki grumbled.

"SWUPER CHARACTERS!" Ami cheered, chasing them.

Mew was just staring at Amu. Didn't she know Ikuto had already asked her 'to play a game'? She gathered probably not, seeing the more and more we get hit in the head, the more common sense she seems to gain. "Ikuto mew, mew-mew-mew, ploy."

"Do you mean 'play'?" Amu wondered. Mew nodded.

Amu grew red in the face and flung the door behind her open, coming out to an Ikuto sitting on the ground of the closet, leaning his back with his arms behind his head and one leg straight out, the right foot on the left side of the left knee and the right knee arched up. He blankly looked at Amu. "Yo," he simply stated.

"WHAT THE FCK IS SHE SAYING?**!**?**!**" Amu scolded.

Mew cringed, tears threatening to come out. Why was she yelling so loud? What happened? Ikuto noticed Mew and sighed, pushing himself to stand and leaning close to Amu's face. "Calm down," he sighed. "You're scaring Mew."

Amu turned to Mew shaking like it was 0degrees in the room. Ikuto straightened and walked over, patting Mew's head and smiling gently. Mew blinked a bit and eyed a pencil on the coffee table. Ikuto followed her gaze and picked it up. "Mew?" she wondered.

"Do you not know what this is?" he asked. She shook her head. "This is a pen-cil. Repeat."

"Pan-cell," she blinked.

"Pen," he repeated.

"P…pen?" she blinked (what ELSE does she do?).

"Cil."

"Cell."

"No, cil."

"Cil."

"Now put them together."

She thought about it and beamed. "Pencil!"

"Good," he chuckled, sitting on the couch. She sat next to him. "Okay, do you know what a pencil does?"

All she heard was 'you pencil does?'. Out of that she got 'he wants to know what I do with a pencil', which I have to admit is a little off, but fine whatsoever. She shrugged and he grabbed a piece of paper off the coffee table and shredded the graphite on the lines. "See?" he pointed at it. "It writes."

"Right?" she blinked.

"Writes," he repeated.

"Rights," she echoed, in a way.

"I think you got it right," he sighed. "Anyways, you can draw and write."

"Maw?"

"DRAW."

"Draw!" she clapped her hands. "Mew draw!"

He handed her the pencil and honestly I would have killed Mew myself if I wasn't trapped in the same body: IKUTO+MEW. I would've killed Ikuto to, but eh, he had (and has) that 'hot-guy-no-killing' exception to him. He chuckled. "You're good already."

Amu slapped him upside the head. "Stop influencing her, pedophile!" she scolded. "Hey Mew, you want a cookie?"

Before Amu could blink, Mew already had the napkin and was stuffing two cookies in her mouth per minute. Amu laughed nervously and sat next to her on the floor, her Characters bickering with Yoru and Tee flying over to settle on Mew's knee. Mew laughed and patted Tee's head with a pinkie and handed her ten cookies, so Tee resulted in stuffing one in her tiny mouth (they're like the size of my eye) while the others were piled high in her little arms. Ikuto glanced at the clock and sighed, standing up from the couch. "I need to go out for a bit, okay?"

Amu and the Characters nodded, well, I didn't say Mew now did I? Mew run over and clung to his calves. "IKUTO MEW!"

'IKUTO STAY' if you'd like this to be in actual English not _cat_. Speaking of which where the heck did s-never mind that's off topic. Ikuto chuckled and patted her head. "I can't stay, Mew. I have to visit my sister Utau."

"WHOA!" I dropped, my senses being kicked RIGHT in. "WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY THE FCK WAS I ON HIS LEG?"

Ikuto burst out LAUGHING while Amu put her head in her hands. I blinked and scowled at the two, Tee flying over with the multiple cookies and offering me two. I gently accepted them and stuffed one under my tongue. "O-Okay," Ikuto laughed. "Phew…do you have a problem with that name?"

"What name?"

"Utau."

"Yeah. I met a btch with that very name."

All was REALLY silent. "U-uh…" Amu sputtered. "Um…I'm sure she doesn't mean your sister…"

"Oh, so she _was _his sister?" I blinked. "Huh. I'm sorry but you two look NOTHING alike whatsoever."

Ikuto's eyes were hidden. I didn't mind and stood, walking up to my room with a pencil in hand. I set it on the nightstand and I went down to sleep. An hour later…

BOING!

Okay, not the best metal-tray-whacking-skull sound but what do you expect from words? They. Are. Not. Speakers. People. So, yeah, Mew woke up with a thudding head and a smiling Ikuto. I scowled at him inside. I mean what the fck? Eh, that's long forgiven, but I gave him the silent treatment the day I got back, which was the day after that tomorrow which that day he hit me with the tray was two weeks and three days ago and then the tomorrow two weeks, two days, and then two weeks, one day. Okay. I think my math could improve, but hey, if I can square eighty-five in less than ten seconds, I'm happy (which I can). Mew blinked at Ikuto who patted her forehead.

"Hey sleepy head," he greeted, chuckling.

_Fck you moron, _I spat inside. "Mew?" Mew cocked her head to the side.

He held up the pencil and handed it to Mew. "I'm going to visit my sister for a bit. Draw as much as you want on _paper_," he held up a fat notebook with plenty of paper. "Okay?"

Mew nodded and accepted the offered notebook like a child accepting a mysterious box. He left and Mew walked up to lock the door (like I said). She grabbed the book and ripped out a piece of paper, folding it to look like the cover of a book and scribbling '^^NYU'S BOOK^^ on the front, opening it up to write 'Loney Kite (or Kitie with the second 'I' behind the 'e')' on the right page, top and 'WaNt a Fr(line I guess is a 'I')eNd(or screwed up walkie talkie)' below it and a two-year-old drawing of a cat (stick legs, fat oval, dots for eyes, triangles for ears, J for tail) below that. Then she wrote 'NYU want a Fr(")eNd' and a frown-face at the bottom of the page. Inside that column or spine she drew a pattern of smiles and frowns that went from top to bottom and on the left page she wrote 'Meet (that actually looking like a word) in Marckt', a plain face and a smaller version of her cat at the top. In the upper middle she wrote 'Tack' then a talking face and a talking cat. Lower middle was the lousily written 'Friends' and below that a slightly smiling face and a smiling one-year-old cat face. 'tVe eN(quarter note) was at the bottom and she flipped it over to the back. 'I thanA(or N with the right leg in the middle) IKVTO(the T having crossed over the supposed U) and a tiny cat face under the K and a HUGE black exclamation point at the lower right corner.

She finally put the title on the outside of the spine and ran into the door, forgetting it was locked. She unlocked it (dmn the fact we didn't switch) and ran downstairs, out the door into cold rain. She ran, despite the growing fever, and looked all over for Ikuto, rushing through crowds like a lost child. Tee wasn't with her, so yeah, I made quick bets she was going to die. She turned in an alley and slipped, her chest crashing onto the cold damp ground and the paper slipping under a wooden plank, dry as can be due to pile up. She shook her head and crawled for it, but she heard snickers and froze. Someone kicked her back down and laughed as loud as they could be.

"YO! MAKU!" a man shouted. "LOOK! WE'VE GOT A HOT ONE!"

"WHOHO!" a drunkard hollered, which scared Mew greatly. "LOOKS LIKE WE'S HAVING FUN TONIGHT!"

"I…I…" Mew whispered. Her volume boosted when the man's foot was crushing her back harder. "IKUTO! KOTA!"

Someone pushed the man away and hauled me up. It was Kota. I hugged his neck and looked back at the red-nosed man (Ruldoph, he). The second one who hollered pulled out a knife and Mew gasped. He lunged, Kota not knowing, and Mew pushed him away, the knife entering through her hand. She screamed and the man grabbed my other wrist, jerking it behind me and lifting the knife to my neck, the palm bleeding at my side. "Let's go, Maksu," Maku snarled next to my ear. "This btch is getting awfully fussy."

Kota tried to help, but let's just say the other had a pipe.

Whish.

Whack.

Whish.

Whack.

Whish.

Whack.

Whish.

PHWOOO!

Slash.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

"Ikuto!" Mew cried. "Ikuto! Kota!"

The drunkard licked her ear and we froze. Just froze. Okay, imagine this. Cold rain, slow brain, a present far from reach, bleeding palm, drunk forty-something man trying to rape you? That's not pleasant. Mew was scared, but she just froze along with me. We shut our eyes.

Blood.

He no longer had a head.

I opened my eyes to the narrowed daggers and the first guys head was split in half, the skull cracking in two and the brain spreading over the vectors. A hole was created in the center of the ribs and it ripped the body in half, those halves mangling into corpse balls and chucking them into the trash bin where it belonged. My vectors returned and Kota stared at the blood, eyes wide with fear. Can't blame him with what history that guy has. Ikuto didn't mind it surprisingly, he just ran over and hugged me, stroking the back of my head even with all the blood.

"Calm down, Kaede," he whispered. "They're going to take you away."

I smiled softly. "I don't think they said I couldn't kill the guilty," I shrugged. "Besides…" I walked over and plucked Mew's creation from off the dry ground, preserving it as well as I could and handed it to Ikuto. "Mew made that for you."

He blinked and sighed, looking at Kota. "How about we all just go to our homes, clean up, and get you something to eat," he pointed at me.

I never actually noticed my stomach was growling. I shrugged and Kota stood. "Can I go with you? I mean…"

I smiled back. "Sure. You are family."

Never did I think I'd be babysitting the next day with Kota.

**Something to think about: How would you react if you found yourself clinging to Ikuto's leg?**


	18. Chapter 18

Eighteen

Kota stayed overnight due to rain, mostly on the floor of my room since he knew I had nightmares. That time it was me, being raped by an alcohol bottle. Tells you a lot doesn't it? I yawned and stretched, sitting up in the bed, and rubbed my eyes to find a certain black cat on my _lap_, knees on the sides of my thighs. "Yo," he greeted.

I screamed and he jumped off, laughing as I chucked _something_ at him. "PEDOBEAR!"

He stopped and raised an amused brow. "Do you even know what Pedobear is?"

"Where you get all you're perverted ideas?" Kota muttered.

I directed a hand at him. "Yes, thank you Kota."

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "Oh I know you liked it."

"DID NOT!"

"Then why did you throw black lace underwear at my face?"

I blushed and looked off the edge of the bed to see I had thrown that. "S-shut up! It's like five in the morning!"

"No, it's eight in the morning," he corrects. "May I inform you that after-school, Amu is bringing her friends?"

I sighed and kicked off the covers, picking up the black underwear and shoving it in my pocket to hide later. I walked out, Kota following me and Ikuto just causing a major racket in my room (not the tennis racket thankfully) and we walked down to eat breakfast, watch the news, lunch, talk while the TV was blaring, and when I went up to the bathroom…Ikuto had something in his teeth. Well, I wasn't positive on what it was, but I could tell it wasn't good. I cocked my head to the side and sighed. I had a good guess that was the famous 'bra' Amu kept making fun about me not knowing. I was right of course (which is why I'm wearing one). "What the heck?" I groaned, snatching it. "I mean seriously lace?"

"It goes with the underwear," he smirked, digging his hand in my pocket to drag it out.

I snatched it and shoved both into the pocket. "Pedobear."

"I'm serious do you even know what that is?" he raised an amused brow. I shook my head. "Oh this should be interesting…"

He leaned in and told me. (o;) was back once again. "O…okay…" I blinked, not sure how to respond. "U-Um…" Next thing you know he was nibbling the frame of my ear. "YO BSTARD FCK OFF!"

I tried to knee him in the stomach, but he caught it and his lips parted, chuckling next to my ear. "My, my…someone's cranky."

"Hey," I heard Kota warn. "Let her go."

Ikuto smirked in Kota's direction and let go of all my body parts, allowing me to duck into the bathroom, lock the door, and allow my back to slide down the wood and stare at the ceiling. _I wonder about my life sometimes._ So I was stuck there, sleeping on the ground, until I heard the front door open. "I'm home!" I heard Amu inform.

"SISSY!" Ami screeched, which was my final wake-up call.

I have to admit, I love my cousins and all, but they're fcking loud. I grunted as I pushed myself off the cold tile floor and onto my knees, then one foot, and finally my standing position. I unlocked the door while rubbing one eye and shaking off the pedobear (the actual bear) nightmare of that thing trying to force me into a bra (*shrug*). I walked out and down the stairs to see Kota glaring daggers at a smirking Ikuto across the kitchen counter, Tadase and Kukai waving at me from the door, Amu trying to pry Ami off her, Yaya and Rima smiling at me from a few feet from the door, and Nagihiko and the Characters bowing politely (save Amu's characters, Yaya's character, and Rima's characers). Tee wasn't really to be found. I wondered where she had gone to.

"Hey, why do I sense a Character in the fridge?" Dia wondered.

I raised a brow and walked over, opening it to a Tee covered with cookie crumbs and three cookies sitting on the napkin. She laughed innocently and offered me two, so I took all three up, at one cookie while I gave Tee one, and walked over to the confused group (sadly consisting of Ikuto and Kota). "Don't ask me how she was in there," I shrugged.

"Who's 'she'?" Kota wondered.

Yeah, he can't see them. If everyone could, you'd think there would be an issue. "Long story," I shrugged.

Dia came up with Rhythm and both got Tee to start floating again, flying over to a little character circle. So Amu and her friends were talking and stuff like that until…

…I tried to walk out, and the door was jammed.

I tried the back door. Same result. Windows. Same result. That's when I saw the fact it was raining outside harshly and the rain must've gotten into the locks or whatever and rusted them somehow. I still don't know how it happened, but all I know and knew is that I had to babysit EVERYONE along with Kota. Ikuto is two-years-younger, so that automatically put him as third in charge (oldest to youngest scale). I sighed and flicked my own forehead. "I wonder how I get myself in these things…"

"Something wrong?" Tadase wondered when I came back down.

I sighed and hung my head. "We're locked in…"

Amu and Kukai re-checked all doors and windows and possible exits. They came back nodding and Amu immediately panicking. "Don't worry!" Ami screamed, pinning to my calves once again. "Kaede here to prwotect us!"

I smiled weakly and picked her up. "Well…" I sent Ikuto a little glare, "not everyone."

He smirked wider and kept leaning against the counter. "Say what you want _Kaede_," he chuckled.

Kota looked ready to kick his sorry as. "Don't mind the pedophile," I sighed. "He's just desperate like that."

Kukai was trying to hide his laughter. "He's not desperate-nya!" Yoru defended.

"Pretty much," Rima shrugged. "Lucy, what are we going to do in here for who knows how long?"

I thought about it and snapped my fingers. "Talk, that's the most basic and drawn out thing."

Yaya nodded. "She has a point. Everyone can't stop talking unless someone says something awkward."

"Yeah, but she also said basic," Kukai sighed. "What about something like Truth or Dare?"

I gulped. Here's the thing, truth and dare gets WAY out of hand and somebody eventually runs into the bathroom with a mascara smeared face. But do you really think I can deny these kids? Nah, I can't, which is why the next thing you know is that I'm sitting in a circle with Kota on my left and Ikuto (why?) on my right. "Let's allow Lucy to go first," Tadase smiled.

I sighed and turned to Amu. Might as well give someone something. "Amu, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Who's your best friend?"

Rima beamed at me and looked quizzically at Amu. "U-Uh…" Amu rubbed the back of her neck. "Um…" I pointed to the clock and she sighed. "I don't know…Nadeshiko?"

Rima froze and fell backwards. Amu turned to Ikuto. "Ikuto, truth or dare?"

"Dare, of course," he smirked.

She thought about it. "I dare you to…" I scowled at her. And this was my punishment, "kiss Lucy!"

I stood up and ran out. "AMU YOU LITTLE RUNT I WILL SO GET YOU FOR THIS!" I screamed as I ducked into the bathroom, jamming the door.

"It's a dare, you have to come out!" Ikuto teased.

"OVER MY DEAD AS!"

Yep, be careful what you wish for. An hour later Nagihiko and Rhythm promised that Truth and Dare was over with, so I came out and walked back downstairs. Ran and Kusu-Kusu flew up, Joker grins implanted on their faces. "Come on! We're playing Spin!"

"What?" I raised a brow.

Tee and Miki flew over. "It's where you spin around like crazy trying to tag someone while they all circle around you," Miki informed.

"It's just where you puke all over," Tee shrugged.

Well, I had to agree, the spinning was NOT fun. Although everyone laughed as they went along and I laughed to. Even the Characters were playing and Kiseki was just out-right hilarious to watch. I felt full inside, happy. Of course the rain eventually stopped and everything was still jammed, so we got a full hour of Yaya complaining and Kota's ears bursting into blood (okay, would you believe me if I said it wasn't actually true?). Kota made lunch (where I chose to eat in the bathroom having suspicions Ikuto would try to fulfill his dare) and Ami and Amu sat with me. We tried to convince Ami to not strangle Dia, Miki, Ran, Su, and Tee, but she's like six, do you think she listened? We walked out and I went into my room to grab something. Unfortunately that's where Ikuto was at.

"Hello," he smirked, shutting the door with one hand, the other at his side. He was leaning into my face, and my back was in fact to the door, his arm stretched above my left shoulder. "Shall we?"

"Shall we what?" I gulped.

Yep, give me another award for being Mew. His lips crashed down on my own and I swear he was lining my lips with his tongue. I widened my eyes and tried to push him off, but he REALLY liked this dare. His tongue eventually found it's way into my lips and behind my teeth, making my tongue shoot down my throat to avoid the 'tongue dance'. He chuckled in my mouth and I shivered. Man once you feel his chuckling on your tongue…okay, don't blame me for thinking it in near-death, but he was dmn sexy. I eventually got him off, his lips spread into one fat smirk. "And you said you didn't like me," he chuckled. "You were kissing back," he leaned next to my ear, "_Kaede_."

"No," I growled, "and remember who can sue you for _rape_."

Okay, okay! So maybe it wasn't the right comeback, but still! He laughed and leaned close to my face. "Yes, but I'm the younger, so I could sue you for raping as well, and it'd be more believable."

See what I mean? I groaned and shoved him back a bit. "Whatever. It was just a stupid dare after all."

"Not to me," he hugged my waist from behind.

I blushed and looked down, my eyes wide, face warm, and lips parted in a small gap. I shook it off and pried off his arms, walking out the door and to the front, kicking the door open. I ran out. I just needed space. When I got back on the two weeks, one day mark, I then gave him the dreaded silent treatment.

**Oh crud we're at Two weeks and One day. The clocks ticking of her life source. Well…**

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**Something to think about: Who would you have truth or dared and if they picked truth, what would you have asked? What about dare?**


	19. Chapter 19

Nineteen

Two weeks, that was the deadline the day I speak of now (well, think of). My life was ticking away, day by day and I had absolutely no clue. I would've changed a few things if I did. For one, I wouldn't have picked Ikuto up from school. You see, Amu said that we needed to get along better (even though she perfectly understood why I wouldn't) and that a good start would to pick him up from his high school and bring him back in one piece. I didn't make any promises and she left her Characters with me, so yeah, it was noisy. Everyone was trying to find ways for me to get along with Ikuto better, most of them edging that 'boyfriend-girlfriend' event stats.

"You know," Miki smirked, "she should just confess and they'd get along."

I froze, Tee hiding behind my neck. "What?" I raised a brow.

"Oh yeah! If she confesses her love for Ikuto, they wouldn't have to bicker because she wants to hide it!" Dia smiled.

"I do not-"

"Aw…it'd be so romantic-desu!" Su twisted her hips, hands on cheeks and looking up at the sky in that 'blah' trance.

"I DO NOT-"

"Go! Go! Lucy-cha!" Ran cheered.

"SHUT UP!" I blushed, making them fly up, hands on cheeks.

"AH! SHE'S MAD! SHE'S MAD!"

"HLL I AM!" I laughed, chasing them. I must admit Characters are like pain pills that don't kill. They make all pain go away, but too much gets you to that migraine and then the 'I can't take it' point and you explode (figuratively). "HEY!" I called. "GET BACK HERE!"

Tee was clutching onto the neck skin and tugged it harder at one point. Amu's characters and I stopped and Tee pointed to across the street where I saw Utau, Ikuto's sister. I blinked and waved politely, and then she walked over. "Hello," she greeted with a sort of smile. "You're Amu's cousin, Lucy?" I nodded. She presented a hand. "Utau."

I took it and shook it, the devil character coming out with the angel and flying over to the group. The devil was observing Tee curiously. "What's she supposed to be?" the devil rudely laughed.

"My wish to protect people," I shrugged. "Got a problem?"

"Hi Il!" Su waved. "Hi El…" her happiness sort of took a downfall.

The blonde angel flew up, eyes in slits (out of all the times I've seen her, she never actually opened them). "Hello! You are?" she asked Tee.

"T-Tee…her Guardian," she pointed sheepishly at me.

I raised a brow. "Why do you have an angel and a devil?"

Utau shrugged. "That's just how it went. So, are you going to pick Ikuto up?" I opened my mouth to ask how she knew when she held up a phone with a text from Amu. "I'm just wondering."

"Well if you already know, why ask?" I blinked.

She pointed down the road and to the left. "At the second left, go down until you see a school."

I nodded and raised a brow at the angel, El. "Uh…why are her eyes closed?"

Utau shrugged. Her phone rang and she stared, cursing slightly. "Can you watch them for a bit?" she wondered.

I nodded slowly and she nodded back, walking away. I blinked at the spot she was standing and went on walking, the Characters once AGAIN talking about my relationship with Ikuto. El flew up to my face with hearts and stars circling her head. Crp. "Somebody's in love~" she sang.

I sighed and flicked her forehead lightly. She flew back a little and I opened my eyes, sliding my left hand into my left pocket of the gray jacket. "Do not."

"Do to!"

"Do not."

"Do to!"

"Do not."

"Do to~"

"Look, are we going to do this all day?" I cocked my head to the side.

"With her, probably," Miki muttered.

Il laughed and left El to complain to them, Tee reloading the pistol. "Eh, Kaede-chan?"

"Yeah?" I turned my head to her.

"Do you really like Ikuto as a friend, as an enemy, or as," she crossed her fingers.

I sighed. I couldn't lie to Tee. "Honestly?" She nodded and I held up four fingers, meaning 'sort of half of one and half of three'. She understood. "Why you ask?"

"Because," she shrugged, "I was confused."

I sighed and pulled that (-_-;) face when I saw the other Characters bickering. "I can see why…"

I shook my head and eventually came up to a school with students wearing all black with light blue trim in the front (courtyard I believe they call it). I walked next to the gate and leaned against the wall, trying my best to hide myself. I unzipped the jacket and checked the sleeveless white top I was forced to wear due to clothing shortage. The black mid-thigh skirt and white sneakers weren't much of a help either. I zipped it back up, sighing and slumping against the wall, staring at the cracks of the side-walk. Out of all my life, I've only loved two guys: Kota and Ikuto. Ikuto is a pervert, Kota isn't. Kota is cool and collected, Ikuto is reckless and perverted, but serious when he wants to be, when he can be. My face saddened. Why couldn't Ikuto just stop being so perverted? That would mean…_that I would be trying to change someone_. I blushed with slight shame. Nobody should have to change unless it's breaking the law, and a little perverted thought or two can't do much harm. It's just actually pulling off those perverted thoughts is the problem. In my childhood, I was teased about who I was. The facility killed that girl because she was trying to save me, and tried to mostly because they thought she was what I am; a monster.

"Who's the hot chick?" I heard someone whisper.

"She looks cool," a girl muttered. "Like someone I'd be friends with, you know Maki?"

"Hey Jai, go ask her out," another challenged.

"No way!" the first guy exclaimed

"Just do it, you big baby!"

I glanced through the gates to see several people staring, so I sighed and turned my head to Il. "You think you can cause some trouble, Il?"

She chuckled. "Sure!"

She flew off past the gates and I heard something slam, Il coming back with a stapler. "That wasn't good!" El complained.

"Shut up!" Il laughed, kicking El so she flipped in mid-air.

Ran raised a brow at me. "Why did you want Il to do that?"

I sighed and slumped further. "She doesn't like schools," Tee informed. "She doesn't like most humans to be honest…"

"No way!" Miki exclaimed.

"But she gets along with Amu and her friends just fine!"

"Look," I snapped, drawing the Characters' attention. "I am an orphan, so I was sent to an orphanage where I was bullied." I heard them gasp and I shrunk. "The next part is Rated R."

"We shot someone," Tee reminded. "I don't think it's t-"

"It's worse than just maiming," I muttered. "I killed them all. That stupid girl…those stupid boys…"

I felt someone pat my head and looked up to Dia. "Don't worry, you probably didn't know what you were doing."

I smiled. "Yeah…I guess…"

"Yo, Kaede."

I jumped once I heard Ikuto right next to me. "Y-Y-you should at least warn a person!"

He chuckled and placed his hand on the small of my back (not the butt). "So, did you come to see me?" he leaned in seductively.

I shivered. JEEZ! "I-In your dreams!" I snapped. "I-I was just doing a small favor for Amu!"

He chuckled. "Whatever you say…" he leaned next to my ear, "_Kaede_."

I shivered and pushed him off, (0/0) being pulled on (blushing in cartoons if you haven't guessed). "S-Shut up! L-Let's j-j-just go already!"

I stormed off, Ikuto following, and the Characters all up about the 'ME+IKUTO' rumor (I swear I'm torturing Mew once I get a chance). Even YORU was with them! I mean what the-you know, I'm drifting, sorry. So I went into the house, slamming the door behind me (thankfully smashing Ikuto's nose) and slumped onto the couch, removing the jacket and setting it next to me. I rested my head back on the couch and I felt hands wrap around my waist, making me blush and snap my head back forward to Ikuto, his face [] away from my lips.

"WHAT THE FCK ARE YOU DOING?" I jolted back, trying to get far from his face.

He chuckled and sat next to me, his arms not moving and forcing me to twist a bit. "Just holding you," he shrugged.

"WHY though," I snapped, trying to get the arms off.

He leaned closer, his breath tickling my face. "Easy…"

It was the dare kiss all over again, except this was a tiny bit harder. The characters were all freaking out (Yoru just cheering Ikuto on) and I was wide eyed, thinking _what the what the what the_ over and over. My tongue wasn't so successful in escaping his tongue this time, so he tugged it and I started trying to push him off. It felt good…TOO GOOD. That's why I wanted it to end right there. He pushed me onto the arm of the couch and his knee rubbed against the *you should know this by knowing him* and I pushed harder. I mean jeez his knee was there! IT'S LIKE HOLY CRP MOLESTER! I wriggled and thrashed, but do you think it did anything? No. This is exactly why I would've chosen to NOT pick him up from school. Because this wouldn't have happened. I probably wouldn't have crashed.

He would probably have been left out of all of it.

We didn't know it though, so yeah, he continued forcefully making out with me and I swear his hands were starting to creep up the back of my shirt. I wasn't wearing a bra, so yeah, I took up the pushing to ten million notches and shoved him off, his arms being taken back and his knee pushing against there as he fell back, the momentarily pushing over in less than a second. I scrambled onto my feet and stared, arms spread. "DUDE! WHAT THE FCK! RAPEST! MOLESTER! SANTA!"

"Santa?" he chuckled.

He was WAY too happy considering the situation. "Yes, the guy who asks you to sit in his l-"

I was pulled into Ikuto's lap (told you he's a Santa) and I swear his hand was going under my skirt. His lips were at my ear, grinning. "Well, if I'm Santa…" Yep, he touched it. "You just made my naughty list."

"GROSS!" I pushed him away, squeezing my legs together to close any gaps. "DUDE! #W^#^*%!"

I was blushing, somewhat like the cartoon (#o#) (blushing while gaping and wide eyed). I mean seriously it was GROSS! JUST WRONG! Yet…I still wasn't storming off into my room. I think that meant I wanted more, but with a firing squad right in front of me do you think I can think about it that much? I was honestly confused why my vectors wouldn't make his head explode but I understood it in a second.

I was REALLY in love with the pervert.

Well, think about it, he's hot, he's not someone forcing me to make babies, he's not abusing me, he's weird, he's hot, he's only two-years-younger, he's hot, and he's someone who doesn't take no for an answer. It's someone who not most people would appreciate being touched by, but look at it, I have only used my vectors on him once (even now) and look, I killed Kota's family, I did nothing to Ikuto. I don't and didn't deserve Kota, but I didn't and don't deserve Ikuto as well. One thing, he didn't hate me at all. He was good with kids (remember Mew?). I sighed and shifted uncomfortably, standing and running to my room and slamming the door, sliding my back down the wood and putting my head in my hands, my elbows closing in on the knees to my chest like a clip as my feet were spread and my body was shaking. I didn't understand it, but yeah, I was in love with Ikuto. I was trying to call myself a slut for likeing Kota and then switching to Ikuto, but I just couldn't. It was okay to like one guy and see a whole different person, right? Whatever the right answer is, I would like to hear it…

…because I'm doubting it is.

So we now go to the day after tomorrow, due to the fact Ikuto was gone all that day and Amu and I just watched the news, played with Ami (we're not rapists people, so stop thinking that), ate, and I was laughing and somewhat silent, Il and El gone and Tee hugging my head most of the time with the four others talking, laughing, eating, and running from Ami, Tee as smart as she…was…I guess…and clinging to me where Ami couldn't reach her. The day after that tomorrow was the one week, six days mark…

…when Yuka was hospitalized.

**Uh-oh. I wonder what happened…hmm, oh well.**

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**Something to think about: Is it really okay to like one guy and fall for a whole different person once you get to know them (Lucy's question)?**


	20. Chapter 20

Twenty

One week, six days: It's fairly simplistic to understand, but not to really cope with. I was walking with Ami, Tee circling Ami's head for Ami's amusement. Ikuto was off to school just as well as Amu. Kota was at his own home. Tadase and the rest off to school with Amu, save Yaya who is younger and goes to a different school called Seiyo Academy. We were back in the market, seeing Ami has some fascination with the thing, and we went into some clothing shop and the accessory section, sadly. Ami and I agreed that she would NOT leave the section no matter WHAT and that if there was any place she wanted to go to, she would come to me and we would go. She would not touch anything. She would not make loud noises unless in danger. I walked off, seeing the section was not that wide and managed to keep her in sight while I looked through so she wouldn't fuss.

"Lucy?"

I turned to see Mayu and Nana. "Mew…" I muttered, finding it funny to see the look on their faces.

"Mew?" Nana gaped. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible."

"I'm just yanking at your chains," I shrugged innocently. "What 'cha guys doing here?"

"Easy, just walking," Mayu giggled. "Isn't that Ami?"

I turned to see Ami laughing with Tee. "Yep."

"Who's the little person?" Mayu blinked.

Nana stared as well. I gaped. "Y-You can see her?" They nodded and I gripped a chunk of my hair. "Well I be dmned."

"Why?" Nana wondered.

I thought about it. Mayu is a pretty happy kid these days, and Nana is made from MY blood, so that solved it pretty well. "She's called a Guardian Character, who a person wants to a be," I informed. "Her name's Tee."

"Not many people can see them huh?" Mayu smiled.

"Well, I shouldn't say many…" I muttered. I mean come on! They see Tee, I see Tee, Ami sees Tee, Amu and her friends including Ikuto see Tee, it's a little much, don't 'cha think? I mean even Kurama can see Tee! It's FCKING RIDICULOUS! I sighed and shook it off. "But yeah, not many people are supposed to see them."

"Is that Ami's?" Nana wondered.

I shook my head. "Tee is me."

Mayu giggled a bit. "Wow, I bet she's nice."

Tee flew over to Nana, poking her nose. "Wow…you look a lot like Kaede-chan as a kid…"

"Does not," I muttered.

"Does to."

"HELLO!" Ami hugged Nana's legs. "NICE COUSIN!"

"She's _SO _not your cousin," I muttered, prying Ami off.

"I have your blood, don't I?" Nana crossed her arms.

"Not the same parents, not the same family," I pointed out. "My mother's sperm did not create _you_."

"Oh just shut up!" Nana snapped.

"Make me," I spat.

"Kaede-chan…" Tee tugged a strand of hair.

"Oi?"

She pointed down to a confused Ami. "Did you and you swister have a fwight?"

I shook my hand to symbolize 'sort of' because it's actually the daily routine. "Nothing for you to worry about, Ami."

"Oh! Yuka would want to see you!" Mayu cheered. "Come on!"

I sighed and followed them, limping due to the six-year-old hanging on my left calf. We reached the skirt section and we saw Yuka searching racks before turning to us and waving. "Hello Lucy-cha!"

"Yo," I sighed, holding up the peace sign. "Kota okay?"

"Fine actually," she smiled. "I hope your cousins are okay!"

I pointed to the one hanging off my calf. "I think you can figure it out."

Yuka laughed, so I let a small smile play on my lips. It's nice to see someone happy these days. "Well, I-"

Light.

BAM!

Yuka gasped in pain and everyone was frozen. Screams filled the air around us and she dropped backwards. I shook and looked up to a soldier. I gulped and looked at Nana and Mayu. Oh yeah…Yuka shifted in front of Nana and he must've taken the shot. He loaded, the others not having a clue, so I jerked Ami off and stepped in front of Nana, a round piercing my shoulder. _Dmn, can't use the vectors_. "Tee."

"Sht. Shoot. Shield!" she chanted, the pistol appearing.

I aimed and pulled the trigger.

Light.

BAM!

His knee was blow into chunks and he screamed, leaning all on his left side. He aimed and the kick of the next round sent him backwards. Nana used a vector to deflect the bullet and I grabbed my phone. I dialed 9-1-1 for both sadly. That was another thing I would've wanted to avoid; agreeing to talk to Yuka. If I didn't, she wouldn't be sitting in the hospital now, and she would have been able to answer my 'what do I do'.

**Short, yeah, yeah, but it's important for later!**

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**Something to think about: Would you have called the paramedics for the soldier as well?**


	21. Chapter 21

Twenty-One

One week, three days: the days were long and drawn, and I spent most of them silent. The Aunt and Uncle were still on business and would be until the two-day mark. Ami was eating dinner with Amu and Ikuto as I watched the news on the couch, my ribs becoming more and more visible with weight loss. I was starving myself, the dehydration making me more weak than usual. In all my life I have never been full, never. Same went for this. In all my life I have never starved, I've just been shot. My shoulder was still bandaged, the bullet removed and the wound slowly closing, but it still is here today, in my time of dying. I never knew I would be visiting Yuka on the five-day mark, asking what I should do…do to fix what I lack now.

Ikuto sighed and took his plate off the table and walked over to sit next to me. I kept watching, a single cough raking through my throat and making my body violently jerk. "That's it," Ikuto set the plate on the coffee table. "You can't keep starving yourself, Kaede!"

"It's Lucy," I spat.

"Lucy," Amu groaned. "If you die, you'll be leaving the pervert to watch Ami a-"

I was gulping milk down straight out of the carton the second she said that. Ami laughed and I threw the carton back in, making Amu shake her head with a smile as I grabbed a popsicle out of the freezer and a napkin, storming back to the couch. Ikuto was chuckling. "What?" I snapped.

"Oh nothing."

I froze a minute and recalled the two-week mark. I slowly slid the Popsicle out of my mouth and glared at Ikuto. "Thanks."

"For?"

"Getting that thought stuck in my head."

He leaned in. "And what thought would that be?"

I scooted away and returned to the frozen Popsicle only to the earning of more and more chuckles until I snapped and chucked the wet Popsicle (don't) at his face, resulting in him dodging and Amu ducking to catch it in her napkin. Someone's phone rang and Amu found it to be hers, so she excused herself to answer it (which took long enough) and Ami was finished, so Dia, Yoru, Tee, Miki, Ran, and Su were all chased into her room, the door locking (smart preschooler) and both *sorry but this is a quotation* 'btches left me with a fcking pervert to get raped by'. I mean you have to understand this is IKUTO we're speaking about. I tried to make sure I was at the very end of the couch away from him, but let's just say that NEVER works and the TV LIES. Ikuto scooted WAY up next to me (don't') so that our hips were touching and his hand? On my thigh of course. I jerked and tried to stand to get out, but he ended up pulling me into his lap were I kicked and punched to be free. Again, the vectors didn't react.

"You know, you keep jerking around like that…" he chuckled.

"SHUT UP!" I snapped, trying to prevent the arms from wrapping around my waist any tighter. They did. "MOLESTER!" I accused.

He chuckled. "It's not a rape if you like it."

Okay, time out. Do you know how many time's I've heard that? Enough to make me pssed, but eh vectors still were softy towards Ikuto even as his hands heading 'that' direction. Sometimes it makes me wonder if my life is Rated R or X…Gotta be R. "I DON'T, THEREFORE IT'S-"

I jumped when his hands snuck into my skirt. "I don't think that's the case."

"DUDE!" I screamed, pushing him off. "LET GO!"

There was a tear and I froze, looking down to see the skirt was ripped off to show the…laugh it out…black lace underwear. He smiled and I don't regret even now what I did; I slapped him across the face. He was dazed enough for me to stand and grab my jacket off the coat hanger, wrapping it around my waist and making sure that area was covered up. He stood and I took two steps back in worriment he'd hit me or something.

Man was I stupid.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "That was too far."

I froze, eyes wide and mouth in a slight gap. Was I hearing him right? I blinked and he walked upstairs. Tee came in, eyebrow raised. "Kaede-chan…why are you wearing your jacket like that?"

I blinked, speechless and slowly walked up to my room to slowly draw on a skirt and slowly open the window for actual air. I leaned out and took a big huff before looking down to gasp. Ikuto had a bag and Yoru, walking away from the house. I jumped out and tried to land on the ground normally, but the probability of that being a success was 0, so I landed with my vectors causing four giant handprints in the ground loudly. Ikuto turned with one raised brow. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Wondering where you're going, mister," I stood. "Just because you nearly rape me doesn't mean you're kicked out."

He smirked and sighed, walking over with both hands in his own pockets. "I'm not a rapist. Remember that one time you were angry at me for the day before? I seriously don't remember what happened. I might act…sexual…with you, but that's only cause I like you."

I blushed and looked down, my feet shifting. "U-u-u-uh…"

He chuckled. "It's okay, you don't have to respond."

He started to walk away again before I grabbed the back of his shirt, in which he froze and turned back. "Mew wouldn't want to wake up again and see you gone," I muttered, the blush being cursed multiple times by me since it wouldn't go.

He smiled and patted my head. "Fine, I'll stay since you want me to."

"I-I-I don't!" I blushed, sweating. "I-I-I'm just thinking about split personalities here!"

He chuckled and walked back in. I sighed and muttered 'like you to' before going back in. We sat at the table and I stared at the food before Ikuto took my fork and shoved some food into my mouth, chuckling at my surprise and returning to his. I smiled slightly and took the fork out. "Thanks."

I turned to him. "Huh?"

"Thanks," he repeated.

"For what?"

He chuckled. "Let's just say you're not particularly quiet."

I froze and the fork clattered with the plate. Let's just leave it at that next thing you knew he was kissing me and I was kissing back without objection until Amu and Ami came in and caught us, in which Ikuto and I ran into my room to hide from the two scolding girls.

Last thing: "HEY! YOU LEFT ME WITH THE PEDOPHILE!"

Now who do you think said that?

**A.N: ANOTHER CHAPTER COMPLETED!**


	22. Chapter 22

Twenty-Two

One week: I bet you're wondering when I'm going to die already. Well, don't complain, because this is how it exactly went down. So Ikuto became my boyfriend (to an extent is what I specified, seeing he's a pedophile) after…three days before the one week-mark. On that particular mark, Ami and Amu and I were shopping (guess, just guess who dragged me along) along with Rima and Yaya. I went off to a skirt section, sort of wondering why most of them were so dmn short, but I shrugged it off and looked for the knee length ones, just so Ikuto wouldn't keep shoving his hands down or up there. I shivered at the thought in disgust and skimmed through. It wasn't hard to find one and turn to slam into someone and cause them to fall.

"Sorry!" I covered my mouth (yeah, I was slightly going soft, so what?). "I didn't mean-"

"AH!"

I blinked as they scrambled onto their feet and ran. I felt at the horns and they were covered by the ribbons fairly well, the white shirt matching, so no suspicion there, and the black mid-thigh-skirt went perfectly in my opinion, so I couldn't grasp what was wrong. I bit my lip and huffed, crossing my arms and tapping one foot on the ground. Yep, I was waiting for the _REST_ of the soldiers to come along. Well think about it, who else knows what I am and comes out to see actual _sunlight _and not florescence 24/7? Eventually I got tired of waiting and bought the dmn skirt and looked around for Amu, Ami, Rima, and Yaya. I heard rapid running (well that's a no brainer) and turned to Bando (why I can NEVER get that right I will never know) and the dude that TOTALLY over reacted.

"Yo," I held up the peace sign. "You having a good day Mr. Mono-Eye and Ms. Dense?"

I could tell Bando wanted to shoot me right then and there, but then he'd be arrested (he's a total \/P), so he just growled. "Watch your dmn mouth, tramp."

I laughed. He was standing a little more than two meters from me! How pathetically \/p-ish. I took one step forward, they took two steps back. I kept laughing. "Wow, I never knew the _fat n' ugly as _would be afraid!"

His eye was twitching. "I'm warnin' ya…"

"Oh please. Shoot here and you're in the courthouse," I shrugged innocently.

"COUSIN!"

I smiled down to see Ami attached to my calves. "Oh yeah, yeah, I got 'cha." I smirked up to Bando and the other and held the peace sign up again. "See ya dcks."

Amu, Rima, and Yaya blinked while Ami was too engrossed sticking to my legs to not notice the curse. So we went home and the girls all went to Amu's room while I went to mine, falling onto the sheets and closing my eyes.

_I was in a light blue plated room, one like the facility. A speaker was blaring at full volume. "THAT BTCH! I SWEAR I'M SHOOTING HER HEAD OFF!"_

"_Not yet," I heard someone say. "Although I think that cousin may come in handy…"_

"_I'll gut the cousin and then the btch if that's ALLOWED."_

I woke up, sweating and panting and with a cat sleeping next to me. I jumped a little, but I noticed one arm was on my waist and his sleeping face was a little pained. I laid back down and he sort of relaxed, his hand gripping my waist. "Ka…don…"

I gasped and he was pained again. I patted his head and hugged his body, one hand holding the back of his head and the other holding his back, rubbing it up and down. "Don't worry," I whispered. "Everything's…going to be okay."

I even knew then it was a big fat lie.

**A.n: Sorry for the short chapter, but that's all that happened that day!**


	23. Chapter 23

Twenty-Three

Six days: My life was shortening, most of it to be spent in depression. Ikuto and I were sitting on my bed, him reading a Manga off the shelf and I was reading Girls and Guys: The Guide to NOT Killing the Other. Honestly I found it useful. Ikuto poked my stomach and I looked up from the book. "I'm bored," he whined.

"And I should care why?" I returned to my pages.

His hand snuck behind my head and the fingers tangled into the pink strands, gently forcing me to look up to find his face [Do Re Me] far from my face. "The more bored I get, the more…_fun_…I want to have…"

I widened my eyes and pulled a fake smile, tossing the book onto the nightstand, leaning back with my arms as supports. "Okie dok! What 'cha want to do first?"

Okay, you've got to understand I didn't want to guy shoving _'his' _up _'my'_. He pushed me down completely on the bed and started kissing me (typical), his tongue tracing my lips. To be truthful I'm not a moaner, so of course I didn't moan and that sht you do in sex. I refused to open my mouth, but even so Ikuto dug his nails into my arm, which hurt and resulted in me opening my mouth to say 'ouch'. I really need a trophy case for my sheer stupidity. His tongue slid in behind my teeth as I tried to kick him off (okay, he was shoving a _'his' _up a _'my'_, just not the one that makes babies…). He chuckled (all the more to love him I guess…) and pried off, smiling and slipping his hand into the waistline of the skirt (whoever rates this a K+ is sick). His lips went next to my ear as the hand behind my head pushed my head closer, his lips touching the frame of my left ear.

"What else do I get?" he chuckles while I felt the skirt being lightly pulled down.

I pulled away, hiking up the skirt. "JEEZ! You'll be getting a decapitation if you don't cut it out!"

He shrugged. "Eh, I just feel happy is all."

"That's probably because a girl bothered to notice you," I rolled my eyes, standing up.

He grabbed the back of my skirt, making me blush. "Don't go, I'm still bored."

"O-Obviously…" I gritted my teeth. I mean we might be Boy+Girl, but we're not Sperm+Sperm! "What now?"

He tugged on the back of it a little. "Come back here, I want to tell you in secret."

"Nobody's here," I snapped.

"And?"

I sighed and sat back down on the bed, already knowing I was in for it. "What?" He held my face and turned it so my ear was next to his mouth. Next thing you know, he bites it. "OW!" I jerked away, holding my ear. "MY EAR!"

He chuckled. "Fooled you."

Why do I feel like I'm in some Anime with a perverted cat hitting on a sixth grader (think, think, think…). "What about we just go out?" I sighed, releasing the ear. "Then people would be watching and you wouldn't be able to rape me!"

He pulled out pouting lips. "I have never raped you."

"In memory," I muttered, crossing my arms.

He was silent. "I did that?"

I turned to him and sighed. "Not really…almost though…"

He looked down and I could see the shine of the smirk. "Did it feel good to you?"

I pushed him off the bed. "PERVERT!"

He laughed. "Are you expecting something else?"

I thought about it. "Not really. So, where we going?"

"Wherever you want to go, Kaede," he stood.

"Lucy," I huffed. "And let's just go eat ice cream."

"Oh so you want to be fat and bulgy like your cousin."

I'm not sure if it insulted Amu or me, but I chased him out of the house all the way to the park screaming. "GET BACK HERE BAKA!"

So we sat on a bench, Ikuto went to get ice cream, and I stared at the sky. Then the light came.

BAM!

My arm hurt like hll and I screamed, holding it and feeling the gory hole to find the bullet and drag it out. I dropped it on the ground and looked around, standing.

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

Light.

BAM!

WHO SHOOTS AT A PERSON THAT MANY TIMES? Oh yeah, the soldier who was shooting that's who. I started to run, lights and gunshots following hot on my ankles. I eventually caught sight of a stand and ran up. "Hey, um, CALL 9-1-1 PLE-"

A shot landed in my knee, and the person called. After the call the person helped me to hide and the soldier ran up to the stand, asking where 'a pink-haired collage student went'. They lied and the soldier left, so the woman (yeah, a woman) knelt in front of me as I took the bullet out. "Who was that?" she wondered.

"A Jack who wants me dead," I shrugged. "Man…OW!"

Yep, she was trying to disinfect it. Let's just leave it at that hurts like fcking shtty hll. "KAEDE?"

I gasped and looked above to see Ikuto. "Over here!" I waved.

He ran over and slapped his forehead at the bullets. "SHT! I shouldn't have left you alone!"

"Eh, not your fault people hate me," I shrugged innocently. "OW! WHAT THE FCK? DISINFECTING IS THE DEVIL! OW!"

Ikuto smiled slightly at my good humor and held my hand until the police came and questioned me, in which I told them _most _of the story. They went away and Ikuto and I went back to that bench from the first day of ice cream. Ikuto gave me some chocolate ice cream and I put my legs on the bench, sitting horizontally with my back up against Ikuto's left arm, my head leaning back on his left shoulder. As we ate, I starred up at the sky and couldn't help but re-see those flashes and hear the guns once more.

"Kaede?"

"Hmm?"

"If I die, what would you do?"

"Celebrate."

He chuckled. "I'm serious."

I thought about it. "Be depressed the rest of my days and drown myself eventually out of pill influence. Why?"

He hugged me, but seeing I was horizontal his arm snaked around my neck instead of my shoulders, but he kept it gentle. "Just seeing what kind of person I fell in love with."

"Well, I crashed in a Cupid love arrow accident in which I was forced to have STRONG WILL taken out and replaced with CONCERED FOR NO RAPING genes, so…"

He laughed and kissed the top of my head, making me blush. This all may seem fast, but it's just a memory in my time of dying. Of course it's fast. "I'm glad you're here," he rested a cheek on my head. "I don't see why people would hate someone as nice as you."

I could think of multiple reasons. Later when I was in my room to sleep, I had a nightmare. Tee was shot and disappeared forever. Ikuto was gutted by a shark with glasses. Amu with stabbed to death and her corpse raped (eww…). Ami grew up (NOT FUNNY) and ran off with an escaped conflict. Yuka killed Kota from Crack. Yuka killed herself after realizing. Mayu and Nana were kidnapped and killed. Yaya and the rest of Amu's friends were locked in this Roman Area and were forced to fight each other (Rima, the victor, exploded at the end). Aunt and Uncle died in a car accident and I guess I was screaming like fck knows what that before my cause of death was to be dreamed about, everything turned to black as I woke up with a new-found warmth around my waist. I blinked my eyes open and turned to see a sleeping Ikuto, his arms around me. His face looked…peaceful, tranquil. I blinked and looked around and smiled. He was worrying about me. I shifted myself so my head was against his chest (it's warmer, that's IT) and his heads were on the mid-back. I shut my eyes to nothing but peace. But…

…I doubted I could save anyone anymore.

That's why I fell to the nothing.

Tee was gone the next day.

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	24. Chapter 24

Twenty-Four

Five days: Yuka was still in the hospital (and is). I wanted to visit her, so I made a mental note as I woke up. Ikuto's hand slipped…there…seeing it was limp and I jumped. His hands then shot away and he was wide awake. I guess he could tell what it was that he was grabbing. "SORRY!" he blinked.

I sighed, closing my legs all the way. "S'okay, as long as you're not putting your '_his_' in _'my'_."

He sighed and shook his head. "Never thought I'd hear a person say that."

I laughed and jumped up, walking to the bag I usually kept Tee's egg in. "Wakie, wakie, Tee-e-AHH!"

Ikuto jumped and ran to my side, covering his mouth. Tee's egg was in total shreds, no blood or NANA found. I gaped and my eyes were wide, the fact that they wouldn't blink at all making them water even more from just being closed. Yep, I was crying. I guess you heard that yet another time, but think about it. Tee was my hopes and reams and everything. Ikuto tried to get me out of the trance but that made me run out of the window. I pushed off the ground with my vectors and ran for the hospital. I needed to see Yuka right then and there. I eventually got there and ran in to find it empty save the girl on the bed. I stiffened and walked slowly over to the seat next to the bed, watching the heart monitor go up and down and beep and up and down and beep. Her face looked peaceful enough, but I felt that I knew she was suffering.

"H-Hey Yuka…" I shifted. "L-Listen…I know you can't h-hear me, but I really need help…A friend of mine," I swallowed, "i-is gone and she's not going to be back…at least I guess. I don't know how though! I wake up and…gone! She's just gone! I-I-I-I don't know what to do! She helped me and…why? Yuka!" I started shaking her shoulder. "Yuka wake up! Tell me what to do! I'll apologize to that fcking brat! I'll revive everyone I've killed no matter if they deserved it or not! JUST WAKE UP AND TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO!"

She didn't. I hugged my knees and buried my face in them. Everything was cold to me, dead, turning against me. I was slowly going insane and I wanted it to stop. I wanted to die to be truthful. I guess I got my wish. I cursed my birthday five days from that very day and heard the crack of thunder, peeking up to see it sprinkling outside in gray. "Lucy."

I froze and looked behind me to Kota. I sighed. And I thought it was Ikuto. "What?" I muttered bitterly.

"What's wrong?" he patted my shoulder. "You seem down."

I hugged my knees tighter and both Mayu and Nana walked in. "Hey Lucy!" Mayu greeted with a smile. Her smile fell when she saw my expression. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Huh?"

I stood and turned to Nana. "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry I yelled at you, cursed at you, insulted you, ripped off your limbs. I. Am. Sorry. Happy now?"

I stormed out past them and out into the frigid rain. Everything could've just be dead and I wouldn't have been surprised. Well, of course that's when depression started.

Two days: I had spent all the three days in my room, no food, drink, or contact with family. I heard the doorbell and didn't bother to answer. "KAEDE! MOM AND DAD ARE HOME!"

I rubbed moist eyes and stood, biting my bottom lip at the sight of the egg shells and looked around, even under the bed, for Ikuto. He apparently went out. I gradually strolled downstairs and Uncle (should say Aunt) Tsumugu hugged me tightly. "KAEDE! WE'RE HOME!"

I smiled softly. These are my family members. "I can see that, Uncle."

Aunt Midori patted my back. "Ami says you locked yourself up several times. Is there a reason?"

I shrugged. "Eh, just feel Emo-ish," I smiled.

They laughed. "Well, we're happy you're well," Auntie smiled. "Do you want dinner early?"

I nodded, seeing I missed three days of meals. So dinner was made and Ami made the suggestion to watch a movie together and eat at the same time to 'drag Kaede out of her Emo state'. Amu asked if she even knew what that meant and of course the answer was no, so they laughed as I chuckled. We all squeezed onto the couch, it eventually ending up Ami in Uncle's lap, Amu and I being smushed together on the left, and the Aunt and Uncle on the right. We were watching a comedy, and they laughed nearly the whole way through. I chuckled at parts. Even this 'Bala-Balance!' act got stuck in my head. I can remember it crystal clear. I eventually stretched and stood.

"I need some sleep," I yawned. "Night a roo."

"Night!" they all sang as I rolled my eyes with a slight smile and raced up, plopping my aching back onto the mattress and staring at the continuously dull rain. I shrugged and stood up, shoving my head out and smiling at the sight of Ikuto. Although it quickly turned into a frown. He was kissing that Utau chick. That meant either he was sick or she wasn't really his sister. It's actually neither, but it's a little late now huh? He spotted me and pushed her off, gulping. "K-Kaede I can explain!" he called.

I slammed my window and grabbed the remains of Tee's egg, all money I had left, and a blanket. I ran out and several hours later…

Light.

BAM!

Pain in my right shoulder made me glare up at Bando, who was smirking. "Well, well, the btch comes out of hiding at last…"

"Kill me now, and you will forever regret it," I snarled.

He laughed. "No worries. I'm not killing you now. Although…" he turned to walk away before turning again. "You might want to stay for the show."

I was too stupid to understand what that meant and for the whole one-day mark I was walking and sleeping in allies, not killing a soul or spending a Yen. I was being a good girl but now…

…should that phrase even be shameless?

**A.N: Question: What does she mean by that?**

**A-being a good girl eventually leads to bad**

**B-being a good girl gets you killed**

**C-being a good girl is annoying**

**D-being a good girl is NOT the right thing to do at all**


	25. Chapter 25

Twenty-Five

Today, earlier: It was my birthday (is still). I'm officially twenty. There wasn't a cake, since I didn't return home, and I was alone. I just sat at the library reading about Teen Pregnancy and other stuff involving bad relationships. I eventually came across a tip book on how to break up with the abusive, and that wasn't helping me a bit. The librarian announced the library was closing early due to a clearing out from the government, so yeah, I was curious enough to obey and walk down the streets, seeing people locking up shop and house. Nobody but I was on the streets, and I didn't hear anything but the soft whistle of the wind. Tee's egg was and is in my bag, slumped over my shoulder presently and previously. Low blue cap, pink shirt with elbow sleeves, red skirt and black flats; that's all I am and was. The vectors are and were hidden. Everything reminded me of a ghost down, now it's an execution. See the difference? I'm telling you, being the good girl is shameless. You'll see why. As I was beginning to think a Jack the Ripper the Second was roaming the streets, heavy tires squealing on the streets made me crouch own and hold my head. Man, were those loud and obnoxious.

"Hey you!" a gruff voice shouted. "You're not supposed to be out! There's a killer on the loose!"

"Your point is?" I raised a brow, straightening. "Look, you worry about your killer, and I'll worry about my life, got that?"

He froze at the sight of my face. "N-No way! It's her!"

I raised a brow and crossed my arms, leaning on my left leg. "What the fck are you blabbing about?"

"Freeze! Don't m-m-move!"

I blinked at the muzzle of a soldier's machine gun and partially understood. I mean how the heck did they know where I was? I pushed it away with two fingers and stared. "Look buddy, I was told if I didn't kill anyone, nobody would be shot. What do I get? Shot once or twice or even three times. I want an explanation and I want to know where the prck is that set this up."

He told me out of fear and made me promise not to kill him. I didn't…

…but let's just say I scream _pretty _loud.

I ran as fast as I could here, but even then that was slow. Aunt and Uncle went off to work I guess, or somewhere else since they aren't home and they certainly aren't dead. I stopped with wide watery eyes when I saw Ami being restrained, Amu on her knees with cuffs slicing up her wrists and the barrel of a gun aimed at her temple, seeing her face was at me. Her characters were flying around her like crazy, only a furious Kurama knowing they are and were there. "LUCY R-"

"Shut up!" the soldier shouted. "Bando!"

Bando (the bstard) laughed and pointed to the house. "You see that you horned freak? That's a _human _household. Being in there contaminated the residents…"

"LET ME GO YOU BSTARDS!"

The familiar voice made me gasp. Bando laughed darkly. "…and the little guest."

Ikuto was thrown out of the front yard and into the street where the squad and Amu and Kurama and Ami were at, bleeding in places that should NOT be bleeding and hacking up dark clots. He was clutching a tiny box coated with blood due to beating and I could tell someone shot at his thumb, seeing you could see the bone. He faced me with pained eyes, yet somewhat happy to see me alive. Then it turned to panic faster than any of this could have gone down. "KAEDE RUN!"

Someone beat the back of his head with the butt of their gun and he fell to the street, groaning in pain and hacking up the most disgusting clots I could ever see in my life, and I've been in a facility where they torture my kind! I ran over. "STOP IT! STOP! STOP! STOP!" I screamed.

Bando aimed at me, the night falling faster than usual in my opinion. "Oh yeah? Why?"

I looked at Ami's balling face, Amu's panic/worry/sad one, and Ikuto's pained and everything in Amu's face. I took a deep breath and held it, save the big puffy cheeks. "I'll give."

"WHAT?" Ikuto screamed.

"KAEDE DON'T!" Amu cried. "YOU CAN'T! THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

I tried my best to ignore them. "You can kill me, torture me, whatever! Just don't hurt them! Don't destroy this house! Don't kill my family!"

Bando laughed coldly. "Oh maybe I will just take you up on that offer btch…"

"THIS IS MADNESS!" Kurama roared. "YOU WILL NOT TERMINATE HER!"

"Why? Do you sympathize her?" Bando laughed. "Ready when you are," he turned to the firing guy. "Make sure my bullet lands first."

"NO!" Ikuto struggled. "KAEDE! KAEDE! KAEDE FCKING LISTEN TO ME GD DMNIT!"

I walked up in front of the house, closing the gate. I stood off the curb and spread my body out, arms outstretched to their fullest extent and my legs spread at a decent level. I held my head up and felt the security lights they held thrash extra heat on my body. This was it. I was going to die.


	26. Chapter 26

Twenty-Six

_This mess is my fault. Everything from when I came to now has been my fault. I don't care though. Why should I? This trip was my decision, sure. I've made some friends, sure. I visited some family members of mine, sure. I was able to not be hunted by the facility for this long, sure. It never, ever meant my existence was ever going to be excused. It never meant that, it never means that. Let's face it, whenever I run or behave, someone gets hurt, and it's my simple reaction to try and be a shield for them. I can't stop it, mostly since I'm just like that. I don't want some of the only friends I have to die, just like her. We were running, and she died for my sake. But now, it's time for me to say good-bye to the world. Good-bye to my cousin. Good-bye…to him._

_"Guns at the ready!"_ the guy in charge shouts.

_"NO!"_ Amu screams, her moist eyes shutting and letting tears spill.

_"Three…"_ Bando smirks.

_"NO!"_ Kurama orders.

_"Two…"_ the guy counts.

_"PLEASE!"_ Amu pleads.

_"One…" _the guy holds up one finger.

_Crying. _Ami.

_"Fire!"_ Bando and the guy scream.

_"LUCY!"_…Ikuto.

_Everything around me freezes as I shut my red-pink irises. The flashback starts, before I was hunted once again, before my heart 'grew three sizes that day', before…before I even came here. Yes, this is everything, in the few seconds I have of life left. I'm Lu…sorry, __Kaede __Hinamori. This is how my death sentence came._ You may think that's my last thought, but no. Time is frozen now, and as the memories pass in flashes from Nana tapping the fish tank to Ikuto nearly raping me out of unconsciousness to Aunt and Uncle's return celebration to now, I think of only one thing. I am Kaede Hinamori, a girl who killed both parents, went to an orphanage, ran from authorities and sht, but now it's time to give. I'm not smiling, sure, but there's something you should know before I go…I open my wide moist eyes and my gaping mouth out of surprise, regret, and shock of Ikuto finally calling me Lucy.

The bullets are in mid-air as my face spreads, slowly cutting through the wind, and then everything is fast again, pain tearing off bits and chunks of my flesh, muscle, and bone and leaving burns. "NO!" Ikuto cries, and I mean actually cries, "LUCY! LIVE! LUCY!"

My last thoughts are several things…_Amu…Tee…Ami…Aunt…Uncle…_my final thought? _Ikuto._


	27. Chapter 27

Twenty-Seven

**Ikuto**

Her body lies bloodied on the asphalt, my eyes wide and that russet haired bstard laughing at Lucy…or Kaede's…death. Amu and Ami are crying, tears also staining my cheeks to tell all. "Oh revenge is sweet…" he laughs. "Come on, there should be a second in the area."

"NO!" Kurama screams, grabbing the gun. "YOU ARE NOT! THIS HAS GONE TO FAR!"

"They're murderers!" he roars, whipping the muzzle across Kurama's face. "They're useless except for target practice!"

"LIAR!" I roared, a gun digging into the back of my skull. "SHE WASN'T USELESS!"

"Oh I bet you only mean that sex wise," he taunts. "I guess I should thank you for making her soft though, seeing that she'd usually kill a couple dozen first."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Amu cries. "SHE IS THE BEST PERSON THERE EVER IS!"

"You just don't get it do you?" he spits. "She's dead, brain splattered, gut spread, bullet infested, nothing more!"

I growl and struggle, the barrel cutting the back of my skull. "BSTARD! I HOPE YOU FCKING DIE!"

He laughs and spits on my face. "I say the same to you."

"IKUTO-NYA!" Yoru pokes my face in panic. "GET UP!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" I hiss. I glare up at the bstard. "Go fck yourself."

He kicks me in the face, blood dripping off my face. "COUSIN SAI NO HURTING!" Ami squeals.

He groans. "Do you think I care?" She starts crying and he aims the gun. "SHUT UP!"

"AMI!" Amu cries.

The place where Lucy lies explodes in light and dents form, soldiers are knocked down, and the captors off. Amu runs to Ami and picks her up as I push myself up. Lucy is no longer lying there, but on top of the Hinamori house is a twenty-year-old with shoulder pink hair, red eyes, a red tank top, black sweats, a brown holster with a silver pistol, two Uzis on her back crossing, and red combat boots. A purple hair-band is clinging to her head behind two horns and she whips the Uzis out, jumping down past the gate and aiming at the nearest guy to Amu and Ami, squinting lifeless eyes and growling, shooting his head OFF! Amu and Ami scream, backing away. I raise a brow. This can't be Lucy, can it? She turns and jumps in front of a guy, setting her hand over his heart and whipping it back, a heart egg coming out and hatching.

"Yo!"

The soldier blinks and the girl jumps back, kicking a guy in the chest and shooting again, making two heads explode and three chests splitting in half. Vectors reach out and slowly rip body parts off, Amu and Ami running behind me as I back up, the Characters clinging to Ami. The slaughter continues and only a few survive, the girl turning with sad eyes. "Iku…Ikuto…" she reaches out a hand. "I…I…I'm sor…"

Someone shoots her in the back, her eyes widening and she grips her head. Ami struggles and runs to the girl, hugging her calves. "COUSIN! COUSIN!"

I gasp and hit my head. "Stupid Ikuto! LUCY!"

I run forward along with Amu and Tee's egg comes out of Lucy's bloodied body. She hatches and is sad, hugging Lucy's cheek. "KAEDE BE STRONG!"

"I AIN'T DYING BTCH AND NOT SURE AS HLL BY YOUR HAND!"

I growl at the russet and charge. "YORU!"

"IKUTO'S HEART UNLOCK: CHARACTER TRANSFORMATION: BLACK LYNX!"

As the claws appear, I dodge the bullet and kick his face, slashing his chest. "SHE ISN'T DYING BY YOUR HANDS EITHER!" I kick his chin up.

He kicks me off. "YOU THINK YOU CAN-"

Lucy tackles him, punching and kicking and her vectors never coming out. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!" she yells. Lucy…she's alive. As she fights, I wince and look at my wounds to find them still bleeding, and the movement didn't help. I fall forward to blackness. "IKUTO!"


	28. Chapter 28

Twenty-Eight

Okay, to say that the rest of my birthday wasn't gory would be a lie. To say the shots don't hurt would be a lie. To say I'm in the hospital would be a half-lie. I'm sitting next to Ikuto's hospital bed, home-styled bandaged up and resting a hand on his forehead. He called me Lucy. I guess his sister is just messed up and kissed him or something. Tee is polishing her gun and sighs, looking up at me. "Kaede?"

"Yeah?" I mouth.

"Did we do the right thing?"

I nod. "Their corruption was bound to kill more people, Diclonius or not."

We huff and stand to walk out until someone rips my skirt off. "Lu…cy…" I scream and he jolts awake. "WHOA! WHAT? Uh…are you trying to seduce me?" he smirks.

I growl. "YOU RIPPED MY SKIRT OFF YOU PERVERT!"

He shrugs. "Eh, probably because I had the most _amazing _dream…want to hear it?"

"If it's about me riding you, then no." He remained silent. "Dude, how are we boy+girl?"

"Not my fault I'm so dmn hot to you," he shrugs.

I blush. "N-No you're not!"

"You talk in your sleep, Lucy."

I blush Tee's top red. "S-Shut up! And what the heck made you start calling me Lucy?"

"Why? Do you not want me to call you that anymore?"

I shrug. "Eh, a bit creepy if you ask me. I guess I'm so used to you teasing me and calling me Ka-get your hand away from there you pedophile!"

"I'm not the child here."

"THEN REMOVE YOUR HAND FROM MY \/!"

Yeah, you're smart people if you got that. "Aw…but it just has this _feeling _to it…"

I swear I'm ripping his head off if he doesn't cut it out. "THIS IS RAPE!"

"Not if you enjoy it."

Yeah, um…"I DON'T! GET YOUR HAND AWAY FROM THERE BEFORE YOU START DIGGING FOR SPERM MISTER!"

He sighs and complies, for once. Yeah, they put him on heavy drugs, but I'm not telling him that. He'd use that as an excuse. "You're not being fair, Kaede-koi~" he pouts. I roll my eyes and grab a skirt out of my pocket I packed a while ago. I pull it on and try to walk out. "Where are you going? Come on! I want some fun in this bed!"

I sigh and turn, hand on the door frame. "Ikuto, just get some sleep."

"Kaede-koi!"

I turn to walk out until something catches my eye. I walk over to his bag and pull out medication, opening it to find half of it gone. I look at the receipt and find it was the day…

…the day he almost raped me.

Crp.

"Ikuto," I blink. "What is this?"

"A bottle of meds to kill myself with, why?" he shrugs casually.

I plop the bottle right in and sit next to him in the bed, hugging his head while he blinks with confusion. "Ikuto, that's stupid."

"You tried to kill yourself to," he points out, yawning. "S'you shouldn't be talking…"

I shake my head. "That's protecting you pedophile."

I wince as he takes out a bullet missed. He examines it. "Sure doesn't look like protecting. More like a whole bunch of bullet."

I roll my eyes. And this is why you don't do drugs kids. I smile softly. Well, I guess this is going to be the usual day…I hope not. "Ikuto, just get some sleep. I'll be here."

Jeez it's hard to lie to him. He hugs my waist and buries his face in my stomach. "Better be. I love you too much to be away from you for long."

I bush and smile softly, patting his head. "I know this might not mean much…but I never had a childhood, just a miserable life lesson or ten."

He pats my thigh, being drugged enough as he is. "Well, I hope you stay, cause I want to make you happy," he yawns, "make you love me like I love you."

"As a sex toy?" I chuckle.

He sits up and forces his lips on mine, my eyes widening with shock and suddenness. Okay, anyone else feel this is faster than it should be. "No, as my girlfriend."

"I'm not Lesbian."

"You get it."

I chuckle and push off, pecking his cheek and patting his head. "Just get some sleep. I'm sure Yoru wouldn't want you to be stuck-"

He's snoring on my stomach, Tee sitting on his head and stretching her back. "Tee tired…" she rubs a big red eye.

I smile and pat her head, looking out at the window to see clouds, but retreating ones. So, sure, I'm not dead to those who wished that, but…

…I'm Kaede Hinamori. I lived. I told. Good-bye and let me live my life as the Hinamori family cousin, a friend, and Ikuto's girlfriend.


End file.
